A New Chapter
by NerdyMama
Summary: What initially started as a one-shot evolved into something bigger. A collection of one-shots from the lives of Edgar, Terra and their family.
1. Story Time

**Obligatory note to say that the characters of Edgar, Terra, Sabin and the rest don't belong to me.**

* * *

"Daddy, tell us a story!"

Edgar removed the cup of tea from his lips, and turned his gaze to the side of him to regard the owner of the small voice that had just spoken. Clinging onto his left arm, smiling a wide smile, was the small pajama-clad form of his daughter, with wet, pale green hair falling damp around her face and sapphire eyes shining with hope. He smiled down at her, "Hasn't your mother already read to you?"

"Well, yes, but I want a story from you!" she pouted, clasping her hands together, "Pretty please?"

He sighed, putting his cup down on the small table by the fireplace, before turning to face the girl properly. He could never say no to those eyes, "All right then. Where's your brother?"

"Right here!"

He barely had a chance to blink when the body of a small boy flew fast over the sofa they were seated on, landing with a soft thud beside him. The boy grinned wildly, wiping his shoulder-length blonde hair from his face, "Hi, Dad."

"You're going to hurt yourself doing that one of these days."

"You sound like Mum and Matron."

Wow, never thought he'd ever hear _those_ words. His daughter pulled on his arm, "Can we start the story now?"

Stories. He wasn't the greatest story teller in the world, especially not compared to his wife. Terra was surprisingly good at telling stories, and the children certainly enjoyed their time with her, resting their heads on her chest while she spoke soft words to them. No doubt a result of all that time she'd spent raising those orphans. Sabin was also pretty good at telling stories too, if he recalled. Likely because he'd been ill a lot as a child so the nursemaids would always read to him to help prevent him from going completely stir-crazy. No, Edgar couldn't tell stories as well as those two – talking politics, yes, nobody could probably compare – but stories suitable for the ears of an eight and six year old? That was a fair bit harder. Still, he wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders, whilst offering his other arm to his son, "What story would you like me to tell you?"

"The one where you met Mummy."

Well, that made things easier. He could remember that day as if it were yesterday. Heck, he could even still _see_ her. A shy, frightened young maiden hiding behind his friend, the thie- no, wait, treasure hunter. Terra would not appreciate him telling their children that Locke was a thief. Especially not when their young son would gladly repeat the knowledge to Locke's young sons on their next camping venture.

So he began to speak. He told them all about how such a beautiful young woman had come to stand before him in his throne room, and how he had chivalrously allowed her to stay without threat of harm. Of course, he left out a few details... things that they _didn't_ exactly need to know yet.

"Was she pretty?" the girl asked eagerly. Edgar nodded, "The most beautiful woman in the world."

His son made a loud gagging sound beside him, causing his daughter to shoot him a nasty look. Edgar couldn't help but chuckle. _Some day, son, you shall come to understand the magnificence of women._

He went on to tell them all about the Returners, how he and their mother, along with Locke had escaped to the Returners' hideout, encountering their Uncle Sabin along the way. How they had traveled north to Narshe together, while Locke had left for South Figaro where he would encounter Celes for the first time and Sabin had taken an… _unexpected_... detour that led to him meeting Cyan and Gau. As the story went on, he could sense their eyes on him, both eagerly drinking in every single word. Even his son, whom normally fidgeted or would find something else to be interested in, was listening with rapt attention.

When he reached the part where Kefka destroyed the world, the little girl buried her head into his pajamas while his son scoffed. "Clowns aren't scary, little sister! Grow up!"

"You shut up!" she said into her father's pajama top, "Clowns _are_ scary! Especially _that_ one!"

"But he's _dead_ , Maddie, so you're being silly!"

The girl had removed her head from hiding, shooting a dark glare at her brother, "I'm _not_ silly Leo, _you_ are, so shut up!"

"Easy, you two," Edgar intervened, turning to his son whose expression remained defiant, "There's nothing silly about finding the whole thing frightening, Leo. Heck, _we_ were scared of him."

The boy's face shifted to one of shock, as if struggling to comprehend that his father, a fully grown man and the King of Figaro could feel fear, "You _were?_ "

"Yes, we were."

"Even Uncle Sabin?"

"Even Uncle Sabin," he leaned down, encouraging the children to move closer, "Though don't tell him I said that." The children giggled.

The tale continued for at least another fifteen minutes. He told them of how he had found their mother raising orphans in Mobliz and how she had eventually joined them for the sake of ensuring their future. Of Cyan on top of Mount Zozo, writing letters to a woman who had unknowingly lost her love. Of Locke, searching the Phoenix Cave for magicite that would bring back someone he cared about (he didn't go too into detail on that one – the last thing he wanted was for his children to believe that people could be brought back from the dead). Gau on the Veldt. Cheeky Relm in Jidoor painting a commission for a wealthy man named Owzer. Her lively old grandfather Strago snapping out of a trance at the sight of his precious granddaughter. The mysterious ninja Shadow who sadly disappeared the day the world was saved – though he was careful not to clearly state what he believed the man's fate to be. The children listened through it all with only the occasional question.

As he ended the story, telling of them soaring through the skies on top of the Falcon with Kefka's tower crumbling behind them, he heard soft footsteps behind him, "What are you still doing up?"

He turned to see Terra – his beautiful Queen – smiling softly at their children, green hair resting loosely around her shoulder as it mostly has done since the day of Kefka's defeat. One of her hands rested on her very pregnant belly.

"Daddy was telling us a story," their daughter piped up, "He told us all about how you all beat up that nasty clown!"

Terra raised an eyebrow at him, causing him to grin sheepishly, "Did he now?"

"Yes, and he told us all about how he met you and he said you were the most beautiful woman in the whole, wide world!"

Terra's smile widened, catching his eye once more, _"Did_ he now?"

"But Daddy," the girl immediately turned back towards him, "When did you and Mummy get married?"

Edgar opened his mouth to answer, but Terra softly interrupted, "Not now, sweetling. It's time for bed."

"But _Mummy-"_

"I'm sure Daddy will tell you all about it another day. Come on," she said, taking the girl's hand and helping her to her feet before looking towards her son, "You too, Leo."

The boy groaned but reluctantly got to his feet, grumbling under his breath, "When I'm King, I'm going to go to bed at whatever time I want."

Edgar had to stifle a laugh. He turned to his daughter and kissed her forehead before attempting to hug his son, who ducked underneath his arm and giggled. "Night, kids."

As they left the room, he examined his cup of tea, which had unfortunately now gone cold. Of course, he mused, the story hadn't ended when Kefka fell, not truly. Just merely that chapter of their lives had ended, and a new one had begun soon after.

After Kefka's defeat, Edgar had returned to his castle in Figaro and set back to work governing as he had before. Sabin had spent a few months helping him as rebuilding the world post-Kefka was set to be a difficult and arduous task. It was only for a few months, however, as his brother had realized his desire to spread Duncan's teachings, and… well, Edgar hadn't rigged that coin toss for nothing. Cyan and Gau had also come back to Figaro – Gau was very attached to his brother and followed him everywhere, while Cyan needed some time to work out what he wanted to do next – Doma needed to be resurrected, that much was certain, but it held a lot of memories for him, not all of them pleasant, and nobody was even sure if the King of Doma had any living heirs. Relm and Strago returned to Thamasa. Setzer took to the skies once more, presumably towards Jidoor and that Maria woman he'd tried to kidnap that one time. Locke and Celes had taken off treasure hunting. Mog, Umaro and Gogo went to their respective homes. Terra had returned to Mobliz to be with her orphans because there was nothing in the world that would have kept her from them once the world had been saved.

Things slipped back into an ordinary routine after that, and it had stayed that way for a few years. Many ladies had come and gone before him, and while he could never deny their beauty or intelligence, the desire to chase simply wasn't there any more. He'd initially put it down to him getting older. Perhaps he was 'finally growing up', as Sabin had once so impolitely put it. Or perhaps Kefka's attempt to end the world had done something – such a monumental event impacted everything and everyone, he wouldn't necessarily have been immune. Or perhaps he had slowly been taking steps in that direction ever since Terra had appeared before him in his throne room all that time ago. _So shy yet so beautiful._ He hadn't been kidding when he'd said he'd been dying to know if he was her type, even if he _had_ said it to other women before. Something about her had intrigued him from the very first moment. Yet for as much of a ladies' man as he was – and he _was_ – he didn't immediately recognize what perhaps he should have done. He knew attraction well enough, but love? Well, that was something else entirely.

Irregardless, when it came to helping rebuild Mobliz, it was a task that he eventually wanted personal involvement in, and nobody was going to talk him out of it. He'd set off on Setzer's ship and arrived there the following morning, much to Terra's surprise. He spent the next few weeks at Mobliz, and whenever he wasn't drawing up designs for houses or overlooking the work, he spent time with Terra and the children. They were quite a likeable young bunch, and they took to him quickly enough. Things were going well.

That was until, rather shyly, Terra had informed him that Locke had confided in her that he had feelings for Celes. Looking at her coffee cup and mumbling, she had implied that she was feeling lonely, and that perhaps she wanted to be loved in that way. Of course, she never said it in those actual words – she couldn't quite articulate it, but the implication was certainly clear. Irregardless, like a fool, he didn't take the hint, which led to her insisting that she was fine and quickly hurrying off to do some laundry. She'd stopped speaking to him properly after that. Whenever they were in the same room, she would quickly make an excuse to leave, be it because of a chore or because she needed to locate the children (despite the fact that she knew where they all were more often than not). She wouldn't meet his eyes any more, and would flush when he attempted to speak to her.

Things reached a bit of a head when Katarin had nervously approached him with a strange knowing look in her eyes and asked him to speak to her on the cliff just north of the town, insisting that Terra wanted to reach out but didn't know how. So he'd attempted to speak with her, though it didn't necessarily work out. She had closed herself off completely, though when he had suggested she was lonely much as Katarin had before, she had simply whispered 'if only it were that simple'. The following day he returned to Figaro Castle. The workers were doing relatively well without him, the progress was good and they certainly didn't _need_ him around. That, and it had been far too long; he'd no doubt the Chancellor would have pitched a fit if he'd stayed away for much longer. He'd said his goodbyes to Terra, leaving her behind; looking back on that day, he'd realized that she hadn't wanted him to go, not truly, but she was unable to explain why at the time.

The following several months were mostly spent in the castle, carrying on with life as usual while trying to keep his mind off of the beautiful woman he'd left behind in Mobliz. She had been invading his dreams frequently by that point, sometimes even naked. His lips curved upwards thinking about it now; he could never forget _those_ ones and he certainly, unashamedly, didn't want to. That aside, Sabin would drop by from time to time, filling him with stories of his travels and the many young pupils he had taken under his wing, with two of them being a couple of Terra's orphan children. It was through Sabin that he had learned that Locke and Celes had entered a relationship, which, if he were to be perfectly honest, had taken them long enough to do. It was also through Sabin that he'd learnt that Terra had been asking about him, how he was doing, and oddly enough, if he was married yet. Of course, he'd found it strange at the time. It didn't help that Sabin had a stupid, smug grin on his face that suggested he'd known something he didn't, and that grin had only widened when the new maid had taken their wine away without Edgar even attempting to flirt with her once.

Some weeks later, the letter arrived. _Ah yes, the letter._ He could still remember the words written so neatly even now.

 _Dear Edgar,_

 _It's been a while. How have you been? The children have all been well. Thomas and Jonathan have been studying martial arts with Sabin and they're doing extremely well. Hope has been starting to say normal words, though 'mama' and 'dada' are still her favourites. Katarin and Duane are overjoyed. Emily keeps asking when you're coming back to visit._

 _I've been… okay. I've had a lot of things on my mind lately. Things I've realized I need to talk about. I know you've got a kingdom to run, and that you're probably very busy, but if you get the chance, I need to speak with you, for my own peace of mind if nothing else. It's not important though, so there's no need to rush. I'll see you when I see you._

 _Terra_

Of course, he had immediately hurried to his Chocobo and taken off eagerly, despite the persistent flustering of the Chancellor. Nothing would have stopped him, and nothing did. He arrived in Mobliz a few days later, and after greeting the children (who had grown a fair bit by that point, with many in their teenage years) and Katarin, he'd found Terra waiting for him on the cliff once more. She had been a _tad_ distressed and frustrated to say the least. It was like she knew what she'd wanted to say but had a hard time trying to find the words. She had brought up Locke and Celes' new relationship. He could still remember the exchange; how could he not, when it had changed his life and hers so much for the better?

" _You're not… You're not in love with Locke, are you?"_

 _Terra looked stunned, her eyes widening as she shook her head furiously, "No! No, that's not it at all! I don't feel anything like that for Locke! I mean, I love him, but not in the way Katarin loves Duane!"_

 _Edgar let go of the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, "So… what is the matter, my lady?"_

" _I-" Terra licked her lips, "I don't really know. It's just… I'm really confused. How do you know for certain? Katarin told me that she felt butterflies in her stomach with Duane, and I get that too. She said it feels good when he touches her, like it tingles, and I get that too. She wants to be near him all of the time, and I want that too. She even dreams of him… and I dream too! I just- my head hurts."_

" _Slow down, Terra," Edgar took her hands in his again, "Now start again. Are you telling me you have feelings for Duane?"_

" _No!" she cried, pushing him away, "Not_ Duane! _"_

It had hit him then in that instant. He'd been such a fool to not recognize it earlier. The distance she had put between them. The way she wouldn't meet his eyes any more. The sudden shyness. The tears. The questions she had asked Sabin about him. That annoying knowing look Sabin wore on his stupid, smug face when he spoke of her. He'd known, of course, as had Katarin, but both had chosen not to confide it out of respect for her feelings. Throwing all caution to the wind, he had kissed her and she had responded in kind. He'd perhaps reasoned that, up until that point, he had merely been attracted to her. That was the moment he'd realized he loved her.

Things looked up from that point onward. He started to spend more time with her and the children, and she'd opened up a lot more, eager to learn as much about their new relationship as she could. Some of his favourite memories were of the two of them lounging in the sunset on the grass outside, his head in her lap as she tenderly played with his hair. Of course, it wasn't _always_ like that. He was a King and had his duties, so he'd spent a lot of time away from her at Figaro Castle. He'd offered her and the children a home within the castle, but she had politely refused; Mobliz was the children's home and she wasn't willing to uproot them all to a place they didn't even know, with a completely different climate to boot, and especially not since some of them were only just beginning to find their independence, with some of them even having moved into their own newly built homes entirely. During those times, he'd had to settle for writing to her and then taking himself off to bed to dream of her at night… and yes, some of those dreams _were_ a little on the dirty side. He'd wait for her though, for as long as it took, succession be damned. He had too much respect for her to rush into anything, and he knew that their duties and her love for the children took precedence.

About a couple of years after, it had been Locke and Celes' wedding. It had been quite an amusing, yet surprisingly heartfelt event. Amusing in that one of the ladies attending the wedding (a friend of Celes' that she had made on her travels) had started hitting on his brother, and it seemed like Sabin had not quite known what to do about it – he'd never gotten Edgar's talent and charm with women, after all. Heartfelt because it had taken Locke and Celes so damn long to get to this point, and after all the grief and misery they had experienced at the hands of the Empire and Kefka, he couldn't think of two people who deserved it more.

When the day was through and everybody had settled into the inn that had been hired, he'd felt a burning urge to see Terra. He'd knocked on her door, she had answered with a soft, inviting smile, and he hadn't come out of her room for the rest of the night. He smiled softly to himself; he'd lain with plenty of women before that particular night, but being with her had felt so _different_. More meaningful. Their relationship only went from strength to strength from that point onward, with him finding more excuses to go to Mobliz. The Matron had started harping on about succession even more; he was near enough in his late thirties now and he needed to think about siring an heir. Fortunately, he was able to get her off of his back quickly enough, albeit unintentionally.

It had only been around a year since the wedding when Terra had started undergoing… changes. She was pale, more easily exhausted and found herself vomiting at the sight of potatoes. It had been Katarin who had informed him via letter (he had been at Figaro at the time), noting that she had experienced much similar when she had been pregnant with her daughter Hope. Edgar had the best medics sent to her and they confirmed what had been suspected. Terra was pregnant and that knowledge had caused him to become filled with panic. Of course he'd have to marry her, he'd wanted to do that for several years already, but there was the matter of the orphans to be dealt with, as well as his own feelings of concern. His and Sabin's own mother had died birthing them, and horrid thoughts filled his head of Terra meeting the same fate. Irregardless, he'd headed back out to Mobliz. He and Terra sat on that cliff a few days after news of her condition had reached him, and while she ran her fingers over some of the regrowing daisies, he'd asked her to marry him.

" _I had a feeling you'd ask and yes, of course I will," she smiled, though there was something… odd about it, like there was something on her mind._

 _Edgar had an idea as to what that might have been, "What of the children?"_

 _"I've been speaking with them about it. Well, more like they've been speaking to me," she sighed, running a hand through her green curls, "They… they said they don't want to hold me back. That they're more than capable of looking after themselves now. And they are! I mean, Thomas is the youngest and he's sixteen now! All of them have been living on their own for several months, so it's just me in the house most days," her eyes gradually began to fill with tears, "So… so they've basically told me I should go."_

" _Do you want to?" he said softly, taking a hand and planting a gentle kiss to it._

" _Yes, but..." her lips quivered, "I shall miss them so much. I gave them everything for so many years… I know they're not mine, but it feels like they are. I love them so much…"_

 _Edgar pulled her closer, allowing her to rest her head against his chest as she sobbed, "They will always be welcome at Figaro, you know. And you will always be welcome to visit them."_

As difficult as it was for her, she had made the move to Figaro with him; the children had most certainly made it clear to them both that she needed to go and live out the rest of her life and that they wouldn't allow her to stay – not out of lack of gratitude but because they'd loved her so dearly. She'd cried for several days, even upon arrival, though he had reason to believe that the pregnancy wasn't helping in this regard – it didn't take much to reduce her to tears.

They had married within a month. It had been a spectacular affair. Of course, it couldn't be a nice, quiet ordeal like Celes and Locke's wedding had been, not with him being the King and her being crowned Queen. They were, however, able to have all of their friends and the children in attendance. Luckily, she wasn't showing at that point. The Chancellor and Matron were aware, of course, that she was already pregnant, but the last thing he had wanted was for her to have to endure all the bureaucrats and ladies making snide remarks. Goodness knew some of the women would already be jealous enough!

Fortunately for her, she'd adjusted to being Queen relatively well, even if she didn't much enjoy all the frivolity surrounding it. The pregnancy also ran it's course well, though that didn't necessarily erase his own personal fears from his mind. It was Sabin who'd ended up doing that, on the day his son was born, with some reassuring words.

" _Brother, she survived the Empire. She survived Kefka. If she can survive all of those things, she can survive this easily. She's strong enough."_

He'd been right, of course. Terra had birthed their son, Leo Stewart Figaro, with no complications and she had recovered well. Leo himself was a beautiful babe. Holding him for the first time was _emotional_ to say the least. He'd never truly pictured himself as a father, and while he'd gotten on very well with the orphans of Mobliz, he never saw himself as a father figure to them. Still, he'd settled into the role well enough and tried his damnedest not to let his duties get in the way of spending time with his child and witnessing his first laugh, first steps and his first words. A little over two years later, Madeline Christiel Figaro joined the family. _That_ labor (and the pregnancy too, now that he thought about it) had been a little less kind to Terra and the babe; Terra had grown incredibly tired and weak from hours of what seemed like endless pushing and had to have intervention. Madeline developed jaundice, and had to spend several days under specialized lights. For several hours, he'd feared for their lives. Both managed to pull through however, and with that, they'd assumed their family was complete; a relief to him, to be certain, as he feared another labor like the previous one.

Child-rearing was much an adventure in itself. Leo was a very clever lad – Edgar was certain he would be more than capable of being a wonderful King when he got older and the time came for it – but he was also an extremely adventurous and daring child. He'd lost count of the amount of times the boy had been told _not_ to try leaping over anything taller than himself or _not_ to sit atop the battlements with his legs dangling over the edge. Edgar was almost certain that Leo's antics were responsible for a few of his grey hairs, something Sabin seemed to find hilarious. Oh, his brother didn't always help matters in that regard, as he'd often laugh and clap, insisting that it was good that the boy kept him on his toes.

Madeline, on the other hand, was the definition of spoilt princess (not necessarily in a bad way, as she had a heart of gold and a generally sweet disposition). As much as Edgar would try and deny it to Terra and his brother, the girl knew how to wrap him around her little finger. Her eyes might be as blue as her brother's, but everything else was all the woman he loved, from the green curls to her little hands and feet. To be certain, she was the very definition of a daddy's girl. Heck, he _dreaded_ the day she'd start noticing boys. He remembered Locke had remarked once that he wouldn't be surprised if she wound up being greatly interested in boys as a teenager and that it would be karma for all the flirting and womanizing he had done in the past. He didn't really have much to say to that.

Edgar sighed to himself, placing the cup back on the table. _And now two is set to become three_. It hadn't been planned – not at all – and yet Terra had fallen pregnant for a third time (she'd guessed that perhaps the new contraception potion she had started taking hadn't worked properly). Now she was already eight months into the pregnancy. The memories of Maddie's birth still ricocheted around his head to this day. He knew that when Terra went into labour again, he'd likely be a nervous wreck. Fortunately, Sabin had offered to take the children with him to his house just outside of South Figaro, enabling him, the medics and midwife to focus entirely on Terra while the children would get to see Locke and Celes' boys. The thought of Sabin having to deal with the children on his own made him smirk a little; he partially hoped Leo would keep him on his toes throughout the whole stay. Goodness knows he'd need something humorous to take his mind off of his fears…

"Are you alright, love?" he felt a small, tender hand gently touch his shoulder. He turned to find Terra, smiling softly at him, "You seem lost in thought."

"It's nothing," he smiled, placing his hand on top of hers, "Did they go to bed alright?"

She nodded, taking a seat beside him and resting her head on his chest. They sat like that for a few minutes in silence, until Terra looked up at him, "I know you're still worried."

Edgar grinned wryly, "Was it that obvious, my dear?"

"We've been married for nearly nine years. I've gotten good at telling when there's something on your mind," she smiled, kissing his cheek, "You don't have to worry. It might not be like before. The midwife said things are going really smoothly this time around. She doesn't think anything will go wrong this time."

"I hope not," he sighed, smiling softly and stroking her hair, "I wouldn't cope without you. I imagine I would go completely grey within a year."

She giggled, placing a hand on her belly. Her face suddenly lit up, "The baby's kicking." She gently took his hand and placed it across the large bump; sure enough, he felt the small pressure pressing into his hand, and his heart swelled. She leaned towards him, kissing his cheek again, "It will be okay this time. I can feel it."

"I trust you," he whispered, gazing into her beautiful green eyes. His lips curved upwards, "I hope this one has your eyes." She smiled, resting her head against his chest again. As they sat there together in their warm embrace, he found himself beginning to relax. Perhaps she was right; perhaps everything would turn out okay. Then a new chapter of their lives would begin once more.

* * *

 _ **-WRITER'S NOTE-**_

 _Pretty much started writing this almost as soon as I'd finished Maternal. I love this ship so much, so I really wanted to write something for it. Anyway, thank you for reading!  
_


	2. Revelation

**A/N: None of the characters belong to me.**

 **I wrote this roughly at the same sort of time as the main story, back when I didn't know if it was going to be a one-shot or not. I ooh-ed and aah-ed over whether or not to post this for quite some time, but decided why the heck not? Maybe I'll do more of these.** **This takes place during Mobliz's reconstruction.**

* * *

"She's very fond of you," Terra laughed one day. She and Edgar were speaking of Emily, one of the young orphan children in Terra's care, who had taken to blushing like a maid whenever Edgar was in the room.

"I'm flattered, she is a fine young girl," he chuckled. He considered making a joke about her being a bit too young for him but thought better of it. He imagined it wouldn't be appreciated.

"Locke and Celes visited not long ago," she smiled, running a finger around the edge of her coffee cup. She paused, before mumbling, "Locke said he's… he said he thinks he's in love with Celes."

"So he's finally cottoned on, has he? Took him long enough," Edgar took a sip of his tea, and for a brief second, he caught Terra's eye, "And how about you, Terra?"

"What _about_ me?" she blinked, confused.

"Are you in-" he began, but then paused. Was it really any of his business? No. No it wasn't. But he really wanted to know. Perhaps even needed to, on some level. "Have you found… somebody?"

"Like… a partner?" Terra's cheeks flushed a rosy red and she stared at the table, "No. But that's fine. I have the children. They're all I need."

He had a feeling there was something she wasn't telling him. He took another sip of his tea, "You don't sound so sure."

"It's fine, really. Though..." she sighed wistfully, "Sometimes I can't help but look at Katarin and Duane with little Hope. They look so… complete and happy. I mean, I love the children, more than anything, but…" she trailed off for a second, before taking a deep breath and smiling, "Never mind. It's silly. I've got everything I could ever want here."

She looked at him in such a curious way, like she was expecting something from him. Perhaps she was waiting for him to make some flirtatious remark. In any other circumstance he probably would have done, but he felt almost so disappointed by her statement that he couldn't will himself to do so. It was strange. He'd been disappointed before when women wouldn't fall for his charms, sure, but not on this scale.

Terra got to her feet, looking a little disappointed herself, "Anyway, I'd better get going. I've got a lot of laundry to do."

With that, the young woman swept out of the room, leaving the King alone with his thoughts.

* * *

It had been a little over a week since the conversation in the kitchen. Terra had seemingly closed herself off from him – or at least that's what it looked like. She barely stayed in the same room as him any more, and if they did find themselves pushed together for any length of time, she would always find an excuse to move onto a new chore or she'd quickly dart off to 'find' one of the children (more often than not she knew where they all were). It was frustrating to say the least, especially since he'd no idea what he'd done wrong, if anything at all.

"I wouldn't think too deeply on it, your Majesty," Katarin had told him one day while hanging out laundry, "She's probably just got a lot on her plate at the moment. Eight kids are a lot to handle."

He wasn't so sure that was the issue but he nodded regardless, "Yes. I should imagine so."

 _The building work is going on pretty well without me. Perhaps I should return to Figaro for the time being._

"Anyway, your Majesty-"

"Please, call me Edgar."

"Right, well-" the teen mother's cheeks reddened, "Um… anyway, I was thinking that maybe she could use a little break from things. Even if it's just for an evening. Duane and I would gladly look after the children, it would be no trouble at all."

He paused; Terra was hardly speaking to him, why was Katarin telling him this? What on earth could the girl want _him_ to do?

"S-so I was thinking, maybe you could take her up the cliffs and just… _talk_ to her?" the girl was wringing the small wet jumper she had between her fingers. She wasn't even looking at him at this point, but there was a look in the girl's eyes that told him that she wasn't being completely honest with him, that perhaps she knew something that he didn't.

"And what would I talk to her about, my lady?"

"Just… anything!" Katarin babbled, "The weather, the kids, anything! Just..." she paused, before her eyes met his shyly, "I think she wants… _someone_ to reach out to her."

"With that somebody being myself?" Edgar raised an eyebrow.

Katarin nodded, blushing furiously, "She'll never admit it. But I… I think she's lonely. But she's… well, she's Terra! She doesn't quite… _know_ how to explain what she's feeling. It took her so long to even recognize she felt love for the children… I don't think she can quite explain what's going on in her head right now."

He had nothing to say to that, but for just a fraction of a second, he felt something blooming in his chest. Something like hope.

"A-anyway, it was just an idea."

"Of course I'll do it."

* * *

The cliff to the north of Mobliz was quite a walk from the small, broken-down town itself. It was certainly beautiful though; he'd come here himself a few times to think during those periods where he had little to do, especially with Terra seemingly avoiding him. Now though, he had no idea what to expect. He liked to think of himself as pretty confident when it came to women, yet right now, he would argue that that confidence was shaken. Terra walked alongside him, not quite meeting his eyes nor looking like she felt entirely comfortable, "You don't have to come with me, you know."

"I want to, my lady," he said softly, "I'd hate to think of any monsters appearing to attack you."

"There are no monsters up here." _I know that, but Katarin asked me to, and my curiosity has been piqued._

"Regardless, I wanted to speak with you, my lady," he cleared his throat, swallowing the nerves down, "You've… not quite seemed yourself as of late."

"I've been fine," she said shortly, trudging on ahead. He wanted to grab her, pull her back toward him and insist that he knew that wasn't the case, but he had a strong feeling that it would only make things worse, so he simply settled for increasing his stride to catch up with her, "Are you quite sure? You haven't exactly been speaking with me."

"Oh, is _that_ what this is about?" she turned, and he caught a flash of something in her beautiful green eyes; something he couldn't quite pinpoint, but it didn't entirely look like anger, "Look, I've just been so _busy_ , that's all! It's nothing personal, honestly!"

"If you need help, Terra-"

"It's fine, if I need help I have Katarin and Duane."

"They seem to have noticed changes in you as well."

She paused then, glancing at the floor, before turning away. Whatever stubbornness had overtaken the green-haired woman seemed to have dissipated somewhat, "She told you, didn't she?"

"Only that you might be feeling lonely," he approached her, reaching out a hand towards her shoulder, but she moved away, placing her face in her hands, "If only it were that simple..." she whispered.

Okay, _now_ he was confused. "My lady, on my honour, if there is anything bothering you, I am always willing to listen."

She smiled softly, her eyes seeming to water, "It really is nothing, Edgar. But thank you. I'm sure I will work things out."

* * *

"You're going back to Figaro?" Katarin had asked the following morning, when he had emerged into the kitchen after a long, almost sleepless night. She was balancing little Hope on her hip as she stirred a pot of beans in a pan, looking confused and a little of something else – was that disappointment?

"Yes, I've been away for far too long," he said. It hadn't been an easy decision to come to, but with Terra remaining closed off from him and with building work going smoothly without much of his input, he'd reasoned that there was little else he could do. He smiled a wry smile, "Besides, I imagine the Chancellor can only last so long without me."

"Oh… will you see Terra before you go?" she asked suddenly. He nodded; of course he would. It would be rude to leave without saying goodbye, after all.

He found her at the vegetable patch, "So you're leaving?" she asked, squeezing the handle of a mint green watering can between her small fingers.

"I have to," he said, "I have… duties… that need seeing to."

"Oh," she wasn't looking at him again, "Well, have a safe journey."

"No need to worry about me, my lady," he said, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. She seemed to jump beneath his touch, and that bothered him somewhat, "Just… please take care of yourself, Terra. For yourself as much as for the children."

She nodded slowly, "I will."

With that, he reluctantly took his leave, though as he briefly glanced back over his shoulder toward her, he could have sworn he saw her crying.

* * *

It had been nearly eighteen months since Edgar had left Mobliz. He was hardly sure where the time had gone, to be certain. Things had very much been business as usual; paperwork, solving his citizen's problems where he could, more paperwork, listening to the Chancellor and Matron drone on about the importance of siring an heir (he was still young, damn it) and even more paperwork.

Sabin dropped by from time to time, and it was those times that lightened up the dull mood. On one particular day, the two had settled in his solar with a glass of wine each, chuckling about days gone by. It was only during this discussion that he learned something about their old friends.

"So, yeah, I bumped into Celes while I was training some kids down in Maranda," Sabin had said, licking his lips after enjoying a sip of Jidoor's finest red wine, "Turns out her and Locke are together now."

Edgar raised an eyebrow, vaguely recalling the conversation he'd had with Terra on the subject. That had seemed so long ago now. He wondered how she was. Mercifully, Sabin hadn't seemed to notice that he was lost in thought and continued on, "I told her it was about time. God knows she's been pining after him long enough."

"I imagine she took that well," Edgar replied, taking another sip of wine, his thoughts continuing to stubbornly remain on Terra. Sabin laughed, "She told me she wasn't _pining_ , and asked me what I took her for."

"She's not a love-starved twit, brother, I thought you knew that."

"I forgot she said that to you that one time," the muscular blonde continued to laugh, "And yet there it is!" He paused for a moment, taking a large gulp of wine, "Anyway, you might not be the first to know, but you're probably not the last."

Edgar raised an eyebrow, "Who else knows?"

"Terra. I go to Mobliz sometimes. Teach a couple of the kids. They're pretty good, you know. Got a lot of talent."

"Terra?" Okay, _now_ his interest levels have raised considerably, though he would have to try and downplay things. He didn't want his brother getting the wrong idea, "How is she, anyway?"

"She's fine, I suppose," Sabin shrugged, "If she's not with the kids then she mostly keeps to herself. But she's good with them. Really good. The youngest is thirteen and still calls her mama."

Edgar smiled, "That's good to hear." _At least she's doing okay._

Sabin leaned forward, planting his empty glass on the table and grinning, "She asks about you, you know."

Edgar felt his heart leap, but he tried his best to not let it show, "She does?"

"Yup. Wants to know if you're doing okay, among other things."

Edgar frowned; he could read his twin pretty well and right now Sabin had a knowing grin on his face. He wasn't sure what it meant, though, and it bothered him. He cleared his throat, "What _other_ things?"

"Mainly seemed to think you'd probably have been married off by now. Reckons you'd still be flirting with other girls though."

Now, he didn't expect that. "What? Why?"

"Dunno," Sabin shrugged again, "Don't ask me, I don't know what goes on in her head any more than you do."

Now _that_ was odd. He'd need some time to brood on this latest development. He still wasn't _quite_ one hundred percent sure what was going on with him lately, only that he knew Terra had taken a large portion of his thoughts and dreams, especially as of late. He barely had to close his eyes at night and he'd see her as clear as if she were right in front of him, green locks dancing around her shoulders, green eyes shining brightly as she'd smile at him in a way that he didn't think he'd ever seen before, and he'd swear it was like his heart wanted to leap out of his chest. Sometimes he even dreamt she was naked. Now _those_ ones were difficult to forget, and if he were to be honest with himself, he didn't really want to. He waved his hand as a young maid emerged and took the now empty wine glasses from the table. Sabin watched her leave before swiftly turning to face his brother once more.

"That a new girl?" he asked. Edgar nodded, "She started last week."

Sabin smirked, "I noticed you didn't flirt with her. Could it be my big brother might finally be growing up?"

Edgar shrugged. He was beginning to get an idea of the real reason.

* * *

The letter had arrived some weeks later. He hadn't been expecting it, but when it had arrived and he'd read its words, there was no stopping him from heading straight to the stables for his Chocobo, not even the flustering of the Chancellor.

"I'll be back when I can," he told the blustering older man, "This is… important." With that, he spurred the Chocobo on, the contents of the letter still clear in his mind.

 _Dear Edgar,_

 _It's been a while. How have you been? The children have all been well. Thomas and Jonathan have been studying martial arts with Sabin and they're doing extremely well. Hope has been starting to say normal words, though 'mama' and 'dada' are still her favourites. Katarin and Duane are overjoyed. Emily keeps asking when you're coming back to visit._

 _I've been… okay. I've had a lot of things on my mind lately. Things I've realized I need to talk about. I know you've got a kingdom to run, and that you're probably very busy, but if you get the chance, I need to speak with you, for my own peace of mind if nothing else. It's not important though, so there's no need to rush. I'll see you when I see you._

 _Terra_

* * *

He arrived in Mobliz a few days later; sadly Chocobo travel wasn't quite as fast nor as efficient as travelling via the Falcon, but he had to make do. Setzer wasn't always going to be around to piggyback everyone to wherever they wanted to go. Patting the large bird's beak, he dismounted and arrived to a warm welcome by several enthusiastic children. After greeting each one individually, he turned to Katarin, who looked positively glowing, "It's good to see you again, your Maj-"

"I told you before, it's Edgar," he chuckled, "So where's Terra?"

"The cliff," she said softly, "Um… she-she's a little nervous. You see, she wasn't sure about sending that letter. It took Duane and me quite a bit to convince her."

"What is it she wishes to speak with me about?" that question had been burning on his mind ever since he'd left, and it had caused him a little frustration that he hadn't been able to get to her faster. Still, he was here now.

Katarin smiled in reply, "I think it needs to come from her."

So he set off, promising the children he'd return just as soon as he'd spoken with their mama. As he walked throughout Mobliz, he couldn't help but marvel at the sight. The town, once burned to ruin, looked almost completely new, with several new houses cropped up. Some of the older children had supposedly already moved into them, wanting to show everyone that they were capable of being independent. He felt a swell of pride in his chest. The workers had done a fantastic job. Exiting the town, he began to walk up to the cliff side, feeling almost as nervous as the last time he'd come here. As he reached the top, he saw her figure silhouetted against the sunset. He smiled – she had never looked more beautiful, not even in his dreams.

He cleared his throat. Terra spun around so fast that she almost lost balance, leading him to quickly hurry up and catch her by the arm. She flushed, quickly regaining her balance, and set to the task of straightening her skirt, "Hello, Edgar."

He noticed that she still wasn't quite meeting his eyes, but it was an improvement from last time, to be certain. She didn't seem so… moody. "H-how have you been?" she asked, her voice quavering slightly.

 _Is she as nervous as I?_ "I'm quite well, my lady. Yourself?"

"Y-yes, fine," her cheeks continued to redden as she twiddled with the hem of her skirt, "Y-you got my letter then?"

He nodded, "It wasn't that busy. Nothing the Chancellor cannot handle."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, my lady. I wouldn't be here otherwise."

"R-right..." Terra looked at the floor again, still fiddling with her skirt. She looked so uncertain, so shy and frightened. Much like she was when he had first laid eyes on her all that time ago ago, "S-so, um…"

She paused, before she let out a cry and grabbed her head in her hands, "Oh, I don't know! I just don't _know_! How do I even _begin_?!"

It pained him to see her hurting so. He couldn't help but approach, gently taking her hands in his. They were so soft, like a peach or a stuffed animal. So comforting. She had jumped initially the last time he had touched her, this time she merely gasped and her cheeks flushed again.

"Calm down. Take a deep breath. Let's start at the beginning."

She smiled wryly, "That's the thing, I don't even know where the beginning _is_."

"Is it something to do with the children?" he asked. She shook her head, "Not really, no."

"Well it either is or it isn't," he said softly, causing Terra to look down at her shoes once more, "It isn't."

"Katarin and Duane? Sabin? Any of our friends?"

"You know about them, right?" Terra suddenly asked. It had come out of nowhere, and Edgar found himself very confused.

"Know about who?"

"Celes and Locke. They're together now," she said softly, tears welling in her eyes, "Sabin told me."

Edgar wasn't initially sure what to make of it, but then he suddenly felt something click inside of his head. But no, she _couldn't_ be… could she?

"You're not…" he licked his lips; this would need to be handled delicately, "You're not in love with _Locke_ , are you?"

 _Nicely done, Edgar. You handled that with all the delicacy of an ipooh._

Terra looked stunned, her eyes widening as she shook her head furiously, "No! No, that's not it at all! I don't feel _anything_ like that for Locke! I mean, I love him, but not in the way Katarin loves Duane!"

Edgar let go of the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, "So… what is the matter, my lady?"

"I-" Terra licked her lips, "I don't really _know_. It's just… I'm really _confused._ How do you _know_ for certain? Katarin told me that she felt butterflies in her stomach with Duane, and I get that too. She said it feels good when he touches her, like it tingles, and I get that too. She wants to be near him all of the time, and I want that too. She even dreams of him… and I dream too! I just- my head hurts."

"Slow down, Terra," Edgar took her hands in his again, "Now start again. Are you telling me you have feelings for Duane?"

"No!" she cried, pushing him away, "Not _Duane_!"

 _Then who is she talking abou-_

 _Oh._

 _OH._

 _Oh dear, this is awkward._

"Look, I just-" Terra mumbled, "Just forget about it. I need to get back to the children. You can go home if you want."

Now it all made sense. The distance she had put between them. The way she wouldn't meet his eyes any more. The sudden shyness. The tears. The questions she had asked Sabin about him. That annoying knowing look Sabin wore on his stupid, smug face when he spoke of her. _He knew. And Katarin knew too._ _How could I have missed it?_

"Terra, wait!" he called, grabbing her by the arm as she made to return to Mobliz, "I understand. I do."

He hadn't known what had possessed him in that moment; heck, it might have been a really bad idea, especially if he were wrong. But he knew. He just _knew_ he was right about this. Had it been that day in the throne room for her? Had it been afterwards, when they'd travelled along with Banon towards Narshe? Or perhaps it had been their reunion in Mobliz after the world had become ruined? He wasn't sure, and for that moment, he didn't care.

He kissed her softly. Pulling back, he saw her eyes soften with relief and he felt his own self breathing a sigh of relief as well. He hadn't been wrong. Stroking a strand of hair away from her eyes, he whispered, "I feel the same." Her eyes filled with tears as she flung her arms around his neck and crushed her lips against his.

He knew in that moment. He hadn't simply 'grown up' or gotten bored. He'd fallen in love.


	3. Dance

_This one has been in the back of my mind for ages. So glad I could finally write it down!_

* * *

After the end of the world had occurred, Terra assumed that she would likely be the only survivor; as a result of her half-esper nature, she hadn't taken _too_ much of a battering when she'd fallen from the Blackjack and had crash-landed on the outskirts of what was left of the little town of Mobliz. Granted, she'd still been knocked unconscious and had stayed that way for several days.

She had woken in a single bed with musty duvet covers and stained pillows, to the surprise of the seventeen year old girl who had come in to check on her status. She was admittedly surprised that she'd been rescued, let alone kept around, and that surprise that increased when she'd realized where she was and what the circumstances of the town were.

She had only been to Mobliz once prior to the end of the world, when she and the rest of her friends had made a stop there to pick up supplies and allow the young wild boy Gau time to train on the Veldt. It was a far cry to what she'd found upon her awakening in the ruined world. Where once small, welcoming buildings stood remained rubble half buried in mud and broken glass. The grass that was once a fresh, lively green became bleak and crusty brown. The children of the town, who had once smiled wide smiles, laughed loudly and played games outside had become fearful, withdrawn orphans whom spent most of their time crying.

She hadn't quite been sure of how to describe it, but it had awoken a plethora of emotions in her; she'd felt angry at the turn of events, yet hopeless as a result of the state of events and the assumption that she was probably the only survivor from their group. More than anything, though, she'd wanted to help in any way she could – perhaps be some good _somewhere_ , even if she had failed in preventing the world's collapse. She could see the two teens holding the group together were clearly at a breaking point.

So she'd stayed and assisted in whatever way she felt she'd could; she'd learnt to cook and sew to ensure the children were fed and well-clothed as best as she could with what she had available. She'd learnt to break up fights among the youngsters with minimal backlash, and she'd learnt how to tell a story in a way that would enthuse the children's young minds.

On top of all of that, the children had taught her what love was. It hadn't been immediately obvious to her what the strange feelings that had been developing inside of her meant – the sheer, almost blind panic for their safety whenever Phunbaba reared its ugly head. The frustration and guilt that came with those days when she, Katarin and Duane were unable to provide them food, and more than anything else, the warm feeling in her heart when she was embracing them or curled up on the cold, hard floor in their basement shelter reading a story to them, watching their small eyes drinking in her words. She simply wasn't sure what it all meant and that had frightened her.

For a time, she'd felt so crippled by her feelings – or her fear of their meaning – that by the time Celes and Sabin had emerged, alive and reasonably well, she'd convinced herself that she was unable to fight. The thought of leaving the children was far too much to bear. It hadn't been until her two friends had appeared again, with Edgar, Setzer and Cyan in tow, that she'd felt a little more assured. The moment the children had gathered around her in her esper form, realizing who she was and _still_ desiring to be with her, had caused something to click into place inside of her; the reason why she'd felt so strongly about them.

That realization stirred a new resolve inside of her. They deserved so much better than to live their childhoods in a dank basement, crowded together, wondering when they would get their next meal or if the Light of Judgement would envelop the town that day. The only way forward that was clear to her – as it had been to the rest of them – was that Kefka needed to be gotten rid of, and that, like it or not, she had power and could do something about it.

So she'd bid the children a brave farewell, doing her best to plaster a smile on her face while promising them – and the two teens who had learnt they were to become parents – that she would return. She'd cried that night on the Falcon, however, her mind riddled with doubts about whether the children had understood her decision, or whether they would hate her for it.

She stayed the course because she had to. This was the only way she could ensure the children she loved so dearly had a chance of a bright future. She _had_ missed her friends as well, more than she'd realized; listening to Celes chide Edgar's attempts to woo her, Sabin remarking on Cyan's unchanged speech habits and Setzer humming to himself as he steered the airship to it's next destination had stirred a feeling of familiarity and warmth.

Still, for as much as she enjoyed being with her friends again, she could not take her mind off of her children. Were they safe? Had they been able to eat? Many questions and fears ricocheted around her mind. She didn't have to worry about Phunbaba attacking them any more, but she had been told of other fearsome monsters that had also been unleashed when the world came undone. What if _they_ turned up in Mobliz at some point?

She had become withdrawn over the past few days, and the group knew it. Hence why when they'd landed at the Veldt following a hint from Cyan regarding Gau, it had been suggested (somewhat firmly) that she should remain behind while they went to try and locate the boy.

It hadn't been a pleasant feeling; knowing that they thought it best if she didn't go. It made her wonder if she would be any good to them after all, or if she would merely become a hindrance.

Still, she couldn't help the whirlwind of thoughts running through her head. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she'd noted that it was midday; the children would probably be clamouring for a story. She'd liked to read to them at least twice a day; hearing legends and fantastical tales enabled everyone to escape, if only for a little while, from the ruined world they currently lived in. She wondered if Katarin and Duane were continuing to read to them. Were little Thomas and Jonathan still fighting? Was Emily still having nightmares?

Settling into the corner of the couch in the main room, she lifted her feet and embraced her knees, fighting back tears. Oh gods, part of her just wanted to cry until there were no more tears left. It simply wasn't fair that the world had become what it was, that she needed to leave them behind to assist in this fight.

"Terra?"

She started, quickly turning and glancing upwards to the floor above her, finding a handsome smiling face with sparkling blue eyes staring down at her. She hastily wiped at her eyes; it wouldn't do for her friends to see her crying. She needed to be strong, damn it.

She heard him come down the stairs, then felt the slight dip in the sofa as he took a seat beside her. She whispered, "I thought you'd gone with the rest."

"And leave such a lovely lady here alone? That would never do!"

She couldn't help but give a small smile in response, "Please don't tease me, Edgar."

All of a sudden, she felt her left hand become enveloped by his, as he edged slightly closer with a sigh, "Truth be told, I volunteered to stay behind. I… _we're_ all rather worried about you. You've been quite withdrawn since leaving Mobliz."

She rolled her eyes, "I imagine Celes wasn't happy about you staying."

"She wasn't. Nor was Setzer, actually," he chuckled, "But I can be quite persuasive."

She glanced down at the floor. She wasn't quite sure why, but she felt a little uncomfortable. She hadn't seen Edgar in a little over a year, yet it seemed like he hadn't changed that much. His hair looked a tad longer, his clothes a lot more worn and ragged, certainly not like the regal wear and armour she was used to seeing him in, but little else had changed appearance-wise, and judging by his earlier (failed) attempts to flirt with Celes, his personality hadn't changed much either. It was in complete contrast to her; she'd felt like she'd changed to the point of being unrecognisable. Why on earth would any of them still want her around?

She felt him squeeze her hand, "If there is anything bothering you, you know you can speak to me, don't you?"

She nodded. Of course she knew she _could_ speak to him, but she didn't know what to say, how to put her thoughts and feelings into words. She also didn't want him to get the wrong idea and assume she didn't want to help in this task. She did – even if she doubted her worth and missed her children so terribly that she felt she would burst.

She saw a sly grin creep onto the young king's face, "I have an idea of how to put a smile back on that beautiful face."

He got to his feet, stepping towards a cabinet, and opening it's door. After shuffling around inside it for a moment, he pulled forth a strange looking device. It had a smooth wooden-looking bottom with what looked like a strange round circular horn connected to it. He smiled at her confused expression, "This spectacular little device is called a gramophone, my dear. It plays music."

She bit her lip. What on earth could she even say to that? What on earth was he even _up_ to? He fiddled with the device a little more, until the soft sound of music began to fill the room. Then he approached her, holding out his hand to her. She had no idea what he was doing.

"Would my lady care for a dance?"

Terra suddenly felt very awkward and anxious, "I..." she bit her lip, tucking her hands under her legs, "I don't know how to dance," she mumbled.

"Not a problem," he beamed, undeterred, "I'll gladly teach you. It gives us something to do while we're waiting for everyone else to return, hmm?"

Truth be told, she wasn't sure if she felt like dancing, or doing much else other than sitting and thinking, yet she didn't want to appear rude – he appeared to be attempting to make an effort to try and take her mind off of her fears. Well, either that, or he was just trying to flirt with her. It wouldn't surprise her. Taking a deep breath, she removed her shaking hands from under her legs and placed one of them in his outstretched hand. He gently helped her to her feet.

"Here," he murmured, taking her other hand and resting it on his shoulder. She felt something in the pit of her stomach flutter. She still wasn't entirely sure if she was comfortable with this, yet she didn't want to refuse him. He pulled her closer to him, so close that they were touching, and rested his free hand on her waist. Squeezing her hand reassuringly with his other hand, he looked at her softly, "Just follow my lead."

She nodded dumbly, trying her best to ignore the persistent fluttering in her stomach and her raging heartbeat. She wasn't quite sure what was going on with her body right now, but it was reacting crazily; she'd never experienced this before, and she wasn't quite sure what to do about it. Still, she just about managed to keep pace with Edgar, not that there was much of one to begin with.

"I know," he said quietly, "You're worried about the children."

He'd stated it as a fact, rather than questioning it of her. She supposed she shouldn't have been surprised. Locke had always joked that she was like an open book that was to easy to read. She nodded, glancing at her feet.

"I understand. You feel divided. Part of you wants to be there with them, to do your duty to them, yet part of you wants to be here, helping us. Is that right?"

She looked up at him, "How did you…?"

He smiled at her so warmly, she felt her heartbeat quicken and the breath catch in her throat, "I know that feeling well."

She had to think on those words for a few seconds, but it very quickly became obvious as to what he meant, "You mean your kingdom. Do you… do you always feel that way?"

"Sometimes," he murmured, "When I first left with you and Locke all that time ago, I worried for a while afterwards that perhaps I had made the wrong call. I was needed, and until somebody takes my place I always will be needed."

"Oh," she mumbled, licking her lips shyly and meeting his eyes. He was unbelievably handsome; she'd always known it, yet it felt like it was only now that she was truly seeing it. His eyes were such a wonderful shade of blue, like the sky before the world's ruin and they were looking at her with an intensity that she'd never seen before, "And… now?"

"I still worry about things at the castle, but I trust that I've left things in good hands. This is where I need to be."

She couldn't help but let a small smile return to her face, "You're a good leader. You and Celes. You… they need you."

He paused from the dance, lifting the hand that rested on her hip and gently running a finger down her soft cheek, "We need you too. You're one of the best magic users we have. Heck, I'd even say the best. Seeing the way you handled Phunbaba proves that. Kefka doesn't stand a chance."

Terra felt her cheek tingle from where his finger had touched. Gods, what was happening to her? "I…" she licked her lips again. It was so hard for her to think right now, not with him so close to her, "I'll do my best. For the kids…"

"I'm sure you will," he whispered, pulling her close to him and embracing her tightly. Terra couldn't help but notice how warm he was, and with her head pressed against his hard chest, she could hear his heartbeat, soothing her like a lullaby, "And don't worry. The children will be okay. You've left them in good hands. Besides, it'll be good practice for the young couple."

She couldn't help but let out a giggle, "I suppose."

He pulled away from her. Terra couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. He placed both hands on her shoulders and studied her, a hopeful (and admittedly dopey) grin on his face, "I trust I was successful in my mission to cheer you up, my lady?"

She smiled widely for him, "I think so. Thank you, Edgar."

"Anything for you, my lady," he stroked her shoulders. His eyes were still looking at her intensely, never leaving her own green ones, and it only served to make her heart beat faster, "I imagine it will still be some time before the rest of our friends return. Would you like to continue learning to dance?"

With a wide beam, she took his hand once more, "I'd love to."

* * *

"Mama, wake up!"

Turning herself over, Terra's eyes landed on one of her small (though not quite so small any more) charges; a twelve-year old girl with long and incredibly messy blonde hair and grey eyes. She smiled softly, "Good morning, Jacqueline."

The girl hugged her, and Terra felt the familiar warmth that came with the love of her children well inside her, "Oliver's being mean again, and Emily said Tom and Jon tried to fight but Geoff stopped them."

She nodded, "Okay, thank you for telling me. I'll be out in a moment."

The girl beamed, then turned on her heel and skipped merrily out of the room. Leaning back into the pillows, Terra remembered her dream. She'd been dancing with Edgar again, pressed against his chest while her own heart beat fiercely in her chest. Even thinking of it now made her stomach flutter. He'd then stopped, smiled that handsome grin he wore so well while sliding his finger down her cheek, never taking his eyes off of her. Then he'd leaned in and…

Well, that was when she had been woken. She had a pretty good idea of what would have happened though, and she almost found herself wishing she had had a few more minutes to confirm her suspicions. Sighing, she slipped out of bed, humming to herself as she picked out the dress she would wear that day. It wasn't the first time she'd had dreams like this, and truthfully, she found herself enjoying them more than she probably thought she should.

Dressed and ready for the day, she emerged from the room to some of her (already awake) excited children. After spending time rousing the last few, she made for the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Thankfully, since Kefka's defeat, food wasn't as rare a commodity, as they were now able to grow crops and wildlife was starting to become more of a frequent sight.

Katarin was waiting for her, holding baby Hope in her arms, "You look happy this morning."

She didn't reply. Katarin approached her, a knowing smile on her face, "You dreamt of him again, didn't you?"

Terra sighed, busying herself at the table, "Yes… you don't think I'm being silly do I?"

"Not at all!" she grinned, "You sound like a woman in love."

She'd had an inkling that that might have been the case, especially since Katarin had told her all of the things Duane made her feel. She didn't necessarily object – it was good to know she could feel romantic love as well as love for her children and friends – but she could not forget that he was a King (a very flirtatious one at that!) and she was just a simple half-esper that had lost what made her special.

Her face must have fallen slightly, as Katarin took her hand, "You mean a lot to him, I think. He wouldn't write to you so much if you didn't."

"I suppose."

"Speaking of which…" the younger woman pulled an envelope out of her apron and held it out, "This arrived this morning."

Confused, Terra took the letter in shaking hands. She recognized his neat penmanship addressing her name. Biting her lip, she gently peeled the envelope open and removed the letter inside. Upon reading it, her face lit up in a wide smile.

"What is it?"

"He's coming here! It says he wants a personal hand in rebuilding Mobliz. He said to expect him in a few days!"

"This _could_ be your chance to tell him how you feel."

"Oh, I…" Terra paused, suddenly seeming to shrink, "I don't know about that."

"Well, whatever you want to do," the younger woman replied, taking a seat on a rickety, wooden chair to feed her baby, "I won't tell him if you don't want me to."

She sighed. She was glad to have Katarin as a friend. She didn't know what would come of this visit – she wouldn't get her hopes up – but she could at least rest easy with the knowledge that she was capable of love.


	4. Good Enough

_Another idea finally hit me, so here we are!_

* * *

She had a lot of self-doubt and insecurities, especially to begin with. The relationship was certainly something she wanted deep down, he knew that much, though there were many times it felt like she seemed to be grasping for an excuse as to why they couldn't be together.

The first had been a day after her confession to him on the cliff by Mobliz. They had settled into the kitchen, each with a cup of coffee, and after a period of awkward silence (between them – the sound of children's laughter could still clearly be heard), she'd finally blurted out, "You probably wouldn't be allowed to be with a half-breed."

His eyebrows had lifted at that, and he hadn't been able to stop himself from chuckling, "Wouldn't be _allowed?_ Who may I ask would stop me from being with you?"

Terra's eyes had shifted downwards, her fingers twiddling together in her lap, "I don't know. Don't kings have to keep to certain… standards?"

He shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee, "Not really. Not for a long time, anyway."

She shyly looked into his sapphire eyes, her cheeks slightly pink, "What do you mean?"

He sighed, placing his coffee back onto the table before leaning across to take one of her hands, "About a hundred or so years ago, it used to be the case that the council would arrange a match for the reigning king or queen, sometimes from as young as birth, and usually with a high-born."

"You mean…?"

"Yes, usually somebody from the court or someone from Jidoor that had a lot of influence."

"Oh," her face looked downwards again, her eyes seemingly filled with disappointment.

Edgar smiled, leaning towards her and gently lifting her chin so her eyes met his again, "But that hasn't been the case for a very long time. Goodness, my own mother was low-born; an orphan, in fact. Nowadays Figaro sovereigns can wed anybody they choose up until a certain point."

"A certain point?" Terra licked her lips and Edgar resisted the urge to lean across the table further to kiss her.

"If I'm not married by, say, forty, then the council might try and… ah… _intervene,_ " Edgar chuckled again, "Which is understandable, I suppose. Figaro will need heirs."

Terra blushed once more and bit her lip, "You talk about it so calmly. You know, being married to somebody you don't know and may not even like."

He smiled again, his hand finding hers again and stroking it with his thumb, "Because I _highly_ doubt I'll be forty before I've found my queen so I'm not worried about it."

A brief silence followed before she mumbled, "I'm not sure I'm queen material."

"I disagree," he replied softly, his hand traveling up to the side of her face to stroke her cheek, "But we don't need to worry about that right now."

* * *

"I'm thinking about dying my hair."

Edgar opened his eyes and glanced up at Terra. The two had been spending some much needed time together on the outskirts of Mobliz after being separated for nearly a month. It had been a stressful time back at Figaro Castle, working out new trade agreements and attempting to forge a new alliance with Doma, so shortly upon arrival in Mobliz he had found himself lying with his head in her lap while she tenderly untied and untangled his hair.

Perhaps that had been what had caused her to broach this subject. But still, it was a rather strange thing for her to say – she had never truly minded her hair before now, "Why?"

She shrugged, lifting a tendril of his golden locks and idling flicking it, "It was just an idea."

He noticed that she wasn't meeting his eyes. There was something more to this. Sighing, he sat up and scooted backwards so that he was beside her, "Just an idea, hmm?"

"Well, yes…" Terra's cheeks reddened (goodness, he thought it was adorable when she blushed), "And… well… green's not really… _normal_ , is it?"

 _She's doubting herself again._ "Who's said that?"

She lifted her legs up, curling her arms around them while gazing down at her feet, "There was a merchant the other week. He looked at me when I opened the door and one of the first things he said was that my hair was… _unusual._ "

Edgar curled an arm around her waist, edging closer to her and found himself trying not to laugh, "Is that all?"

Terra snapped her head upwards and scowled at him, "Isn't that enough? He's not _wrong_ , is he? It _is_ unusual! No _normal_ person has green hair!"

He couldn't help himself; he let out a loud laugh, which only caused Terra's cheeks to redden and her eyes to narrow in frustration, "It's not _funny,_ Edgar!"

"I'm sorry, my dear," he gasped, trying to calm himself down, "But… truthfully, there really isn't any _prerequisite_ for normal, is there? Everyone's unique in their own way."

"I don't-" she started, but he placed a finger to her lips. "I, for one, love your hair exactly as it is," his hand that rested on her waist glided upwards and eventually became buried by her long, luscious curls, "And I think you are perfect as you are."

"I-" she swallowed, as his finger moved away from her lips and his face slowly moved closer to hers, "A-are you saying I shouldn't dye it then?"

He grinned, allowing his other hand to stroke the side of her face, his thumb stroking the corner of her mouth, "If dying it will make _you_ happy, then dye it. But don't change yourself for anybody else. If other people cannot abide who you are or what you look like, then that is their problem."

Her lips curved upwards, "Okay then… I'll try to remember that."

"Good," he smiled, closing the gap between them to brush his lips against hers.

* * *

He had known it'd be a matter of time before his flirtatious reputation would be brought up, though he was honestly surprised it hadn't been mentioned sooner. It had been Celes who had initially put the thought into Terra's head, and while part of him wanted to be angry at her, he ultimately couldn't blame anyone but himself.

He had definitely been a ladies man prior to his relationship with Terra, forever flirting with any woman that crossed his path, be they old, young, high-born, low-born, attractive or plain. He couldn't quite put his finger on why he was so drawn to them; perhaps it had been due to not having his mother in his life and he was seeking female comfort in the only way he knew how, or perhaps he simply was a highly sexed up individual. Either way, he'd earned quite the reputation for his behavior.

Now, it was biting him royally on the ass.

"You know I'm not like that any more."

Terra's arms were folded across her stomach, and she sighed sadly, "I _do_ believe you, but when I have people telling me to watch out, and that you might be using me, it does get to you."

"You mean Celes and Locke."

"Does it matter who says it?"

Edgar paused, slipping his hands into his pockets. He licked his lips and let out a sigh, "I suppose not. I imagine they're not the only ones."

An awkward silence fell between the two of them. Edgar found himself silently cursing the way he'd been before. Sure, he'd had fun with many of the women who'd agreed to entertain him, but he was certain that it wasn't worth any doubts that it had put into Terra's mind about the seriousness of his feelings for her. She was different, and he'd do anything to prove it.

Finally, she broke the silence, "Am I good enough?"

He hadn't been expecting that. " _What?_ "

" _Am I good enough_?" she repeated urgently, looking at him with gorgeous green eyes that seemed to be filled with uncertainty, "I know I'm not like other women. I haven't been able to do a lot of things with you that you probably have with other women-" (his cheeks flushed red; so she knew the extents of his behavior then) "-and I can't help but wonder… if you'll get bored of me."

He sighed, running a hand over his braid, "That won't happen."

"How do you know that?" she whispered, her eyes beginning to moisten with tears. He couldn't have that.

"Because I know that you're the first woman I've ever _needed_ to be with," he began; no sense in holding back, she needed to know the depths of his feelings for her, he couldn't stand her tearing herself down any more, especially because of his stupid past behavior, "With others there would be desire, but I could wake up the next morning and not worry if I never saw that person again. There would always be somebody else."

He approached her cautiously; she wasn't angry, but he knew she was in a sensitive place, "Then I met you… and I eventually realized that I didn't _want_ to wake up the next day and not have you in my life. I can't even _imagine_ it, a life without you in it."

Her arms were folded, she was biting her lip. He plowed on before she could think of something to say, "When you told me you had feelings for me, it only cemented things for me. I haven't flirted with another woman in a very long time because they're not _you_. You… you _complete_ me."

She smiled weakly, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks, "How do I know you aren't just saying that?"

Drawing closer, he tentatively curled his arms around her waist. She didn't object, which was a good sign. "You're the only person I've ever wanted to marry."

One of her small hands shot up to her mouth, "A-are you saying what I _think_ you're saying?"

He smiled, one of his hands gliding up to stroke her hair, "You'd only refuse. The kids need you too much right now. You won't leave them and I wouldn't want you to. I'm just saying that I've thought about it. Marrying you, that is. Having a family with you. Haven't done that with anyone else."

"O-oh," she said breathlessly. He wasn't quite sure how to gauge her reaction; she looked like she was both disappointed and relieved. Moving his hand to her cheeks, he gently wiped away her tears. It was now or never.

"I love you."

She gasped, her eyes meeting his and searching quite thoroughly for any hint of dishonesty. She wouldn't find any. Her eyes filled with tears again; it had been the first time he'd said those three little words to her, "D-do you mean that?"

"Of course," he murmured, "Like I said, you complete me."

Letting out a loud sob, she flung herself forward into his arms, burying her face into his chest and allowing the tears to fall freely, "I l-love you t-too!" she cried, "I-I just- I want t-to be g-good enough f-for you!"

He continued to hold her, resting his chin on her head, blinking rapidly to avoid his eyes from watering themselves, "You already are, Terra. You already are."

* * *

Two years after that conversation, Celes and Locke got married. The night following Celes and Locke's wedding, Edgar had gone to Terra's room. South Figaro's inn wasn't too difficult to navigate, though he'd initially found himself wishing that he were back at the castle. He hadn't _quite_ understood the newly-wed couple's reluctance on marrying there or why they hadn't wanted him to officiate (he was a King, he could _totally_ officiate a wedding), but he supposed that was down to them.

Terra had been looking at him strangely all day so he'd wanted to see if she was alright. Little did he realize then that he wouldn't be coming back out of her room again until the following morning.

One thing eventually led to another, and before long, she was naked before him. She was even more beautiful than his dreams imagined her to be. Blushing furiously, she'd held her left arm with her right hand, and gazed at the floor, "I'm sorry. T-there's a lot of scars-"

He kissed her gently, cutting off her apology, "You're beautiful, love."

* * *

"So what exactly does a queen _do?_ "

Edgar cracked one eye open, regarding the beautiful woman lying next to him in his bed. It had been at least a year since Celes and Locke's wedding… and only a week since he himself had proposed, following the discovery that Terra was pregnant with his child. _That_ had been one heck of an emotional roller coaster, and he wasn't quite sure he'd gotten off yet.

"Honestly?" he began, pushing that thought out of his mind and rolling onto his side to face her, "Not as much as you might think. Support the King. Provide heirs. Be a good role model to the public I suppose. You don't have to change anything about who you are or what you do right now."

"Oh," she glanced downwards in the direction of her belly, which was still quite flat, "So I don't really need to know about politics or anything?"

He let out a chuckle, "Leave that to me, love. I've got all that stuff covered. You just worry about yourself."

She smiled at that, "And the baby."

He nodded in agreement, swallowing deeply, "Yes. The baby too."

Truth be told, he was nervous. Granted, Terra was still in the very early stages of pregnancy, but he'd found himself plagued by dreams of her dying in childbirth, caked in blood with the sound of a screaming infant echoing around him. Then there was the separate matter of becoming a father.

Thankfully, Terra interrupted his thoughts by squeezing his hand. Her eyes looked uncertain, "Are you sure I'll be a good Queen?"

His lips curved upwards slightly. Even after everything they'd experienced, she still needed reassuring, "I think you will make a wonderful Queen. You don't need to change anything about yourself."

"Are you sure?" she bit her lip again. Of course, she needed a lot more reassurance lately about many things, though he imagined the pregnancy hormones played a part in that. If she wasn't worrying about the Mobliz children (who really weren't children any more), then it was the impending wedding and her being crowned Queen playing on her mind or the child growing in her belly.

He sighed and brought her closer to him, planting a soft kiss on her forehead, "I'm absolutely certain. You will be wonderful, love, both as a Queen and as a mother."

She smiled, "Okay."

Edgar found himself relieved that she was becoming easier to encourage. She may not have noticed it, but her confidence had grown in leaps and bounds from the shy young girl he'd first laid eyes on all those years ago. She rested her head against his chest, letting out a small sigh, "I also think you'll be a great father."

He looked down at her, finding himself unable to keep the worry out of his own voice, "You think so?"

"I know you will," she whispered, lifting her head to look at him, "Don't ever doubt it."

With that, she kissed him softly, allowing her hands to gently mess with his hair. Allowing his own hands to entangle themselves in her curls as he deepened the kiss, he found himself feeling better at her words, even if it didn't erase his concerns entirely.

Perhaps he needed reassurance too, sometimes.


	5. Changes - Part 1

It had been at least a year since Locke and Celes had married when the changes had started to really take hold. Terra hadn't immediately noticed them – even though she lived in her house alone now, she still had enough to do that any minor discomforts were mostly ignored. She spent a lot of time helping her children in their own homes, usually with decorating, gardening or simply providing a listening ear while they laid out all their plans for their futures.

It had been on one of those days, when she was to have dinner with Emily, that the first major inkling that something wasn't quite right had made itself apparent.

"So I was thinking about painting the kitchen walls green," Emily chattered on, tousled brown hair tied back into a long ponytail and hazel eyes more animated than Terra had seen them in a while, "And then possibly lavender or peach for the hall. What do you think, Terra?"

The green-haired woman hadn't quite been giving the young woman her full attention; try as she might, she couldn't manage to ignore the soreness she felt in her breasts. It had been a persistent bother for a few days now; she'd opted to not wear a bra today for this exact reason, and while it had helped a little bit, the soreness was still very much present. She found herself briefly wondering what Edgar would think of her right now, and she had to suppress a giggle; he'd probably find it insanely attractive. Then again, he found _a lot_ of things insanely attractive.

"Mama Terra? Are you alright?" Emily's voice broke through the older woman's thoughts, and instantly she felt awful for not giving the brunette her full attention. Edgar wasn't here, he was at Figaro Castle, and even if he were here, it wouldn't matter. She quickly mumbled an apology.

"Dinner should be ready soon," the younger of the two replied, "You look like you need it. You're as white as a sheet! Have you been eating properly?"

For a moment, it was as if the roles had switched. The girl leaned across, placing a warm hand on her adopted mother's forehead, "Your temperature seems normal enough but… Are you sure you're alright?"

Terra licked her lips, trying to devise an answer. She didn't want to lie to the young girl, but she didn't want to worry her either. Sore breasts aside, she'd been feeling a lot more tired than usual, she had the odd stomach cramp and some mornings she felt a tad nauseous, but they were truly the only things that came to mind. She smiled reassuringly at the younger girl, "I'm fine, Emily. I've just been a little bit tired, that's all."

Emily didn't look totally convinced, but she nodded regardless, "Okay. You should still take it easy, though. Please? For me?"

With a small chuckle, Terra nodded, "I will. Don't worry."

Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Emily quickly rose to her feet, "I'll just go and check the dinner. Mashed potatoes, peas and leafer rabbit. I really hope you like it!" the girl twirled out of the room eagerly, leaving Terra alone with her thoughts.

She couldn't believe so much change had passed in Mobliz; when she had arrived in the little town several years ago, there had been little left of it. Rubble and dying grass had surrounded only two stony buildings, hosting eight frightened young children and two stressed teenagers. Now, Mobliz was much more lively, with several more homes having been built (thanks to Edgar, mostly) and the scared children she had helped raise were now teenagers and young adults, living with little fear and learning to strike out on their own. She couldn't have felt prouder if she'd tried.

A noise at the door alerted Terra to Emily's reappearance, carrying two plates of food. It should have looked delicious. It _did_ look delicious. The leafer had been cooked to perfection and was covered lightly in gravy. The garden peas maintained a healthy green color, and the mashed potato looked creamy. Yet, as the odor reached her nostrils, Terra couldn't help but feel the rising nausea in the pit of her stomach.

Emily frowned, "Are you alright, Terra? I mean, the dinner looks okay, doesn't it?"

"Yes, sweetie, the dinner looks wonderful," Terra forced a smile onto her face. She would _not_ ruin this for Emily. The poor girl had worked so hard on providing a wonderful meal for her!

"Oh," the girl smiled again, placing the plate down in front of her, "Well, tuck in!"

Terra looked at the plate again. She knew she was being silly. How often had she eaten this meal with her other children or in her own house? It had been a staple meal post-Kefka for her and the rest of the youngsters. Yet, she couldn't shake the rising feeling of nausea in her stomach. Picking up the fork, she stabbed at the leafer; definitely perfectly done, it looked like it would fall apart quite nicely in her mouth. Her attention then turned to the mash potato, as she dug her fork in and lifted some to her mouth.

The overwhelming odor of butter hit her far harder than she'd ever imagined, and she couldn't hold the feeling of sickness back any more. Quickly dropping her fork, she immediately got to her feet and charged out of the room, throwing her hand to her mouth while Emily let out a sudden shout of surprise.

 _Bucket. I need a bucket._ She quickly spied one in the corner on the kitchen floor, and without even stopping, she dropped to her knees, leaned over and threw up. She blinked tears out of her eyes as her throat burned and her stomach heaved. She felt so _ashamed_. Goodness knew poor Emily would feel awful for this.

She could feel Emily's presence behind her. Following a startled silence, the young woman leaned down behind Terra and gently scooped her green hair out of her face. Terra fought the urge to cry.

Eventually, after a short period, the vomiting stopped. Taking a few breaths, Terra took a tea towel that Emily gently pushed into her hands and started to wipe around her mouth, "I-I'm so sorry, Emily. I didn't mean to ruin your beautiful dinner."

"You didn't," the brunette mumbled quietly, "You couldn't help it."

A silence fell between the two, as Emily's hands quickly busied themselves with stroking her adopted mother's hair. Eventually, though, the silence had to be broken as Emily moved to the front of her, "Terra, you're not just tired, are you?"

"It's nothing, sweetie."

"Please don't lie to me, Mama."

Emily fitted Terra with a hard stare. The half-esper knew she couldn't lie to her. She'd even called her 'Mama'; she hadn't done that since she was young. Sighing, the older woman ran a hand over her curls and nodded, "No, I'm not just tired."

"What's wrong?" the girl's eyes were beginning to mist over, "Please, Mama, I love you and I want to help."

"I don't know, Emily, I swear to you," Terra replied, forcing back her own tears, "It's probably just a virus. It'll likely pass with time."

Emily chewed her lip, a reluctant expression on her face, "Perhaps."

"I think I should go home," Terra murmured, "I don't want you catching it."

Before Emily could protest, she'd already clambered to her feet, ignoring the shaky feeling in her legs as she pulled her cloak off of the coat hook and pulled it over her shoulders. Turning to Emily, she said, "I'm so sorry again about dinner, Emily. Perhaps when I'm feeling better, I'll cook for you. Anything you want."

"Terra," Emily was still chewing her lip, looking nervous, "You're not wearing a bra."

She was briefly stunned into silence, but quickly managed to regain her composure. Smiling weakly at the frowning younger woman, she quickly nodded and whispered a hurried goodbye before leaving the house. She found herself wondering what her lack of a bra had to do with anything.

* * *

"What do you _mean_ , you've written to Edgar?!"

Terra was angry. No, not angry, _furious_. She glared intensely at the woman sat across her table, who at least had the good grace to look somewhat flustered. How could her friend have betrayed her in such a way?

"You've been like this for over a week," Katarin uttered, her cheeks flushing pink, "I just think – maybe a medic should take a look at you."

Terra frowned and waved a hand nonchalantly, "I'm _fine_ , Katarin. It's just a little sickness. A bug that will go away eventually."

"It's more than that Terra, and you know it," Katarin replied, intertwining her hands together and rubbing them nervously, "Jacqueline told me she's seen you crying at the vegetable patch frequently. And then there was the incident with Oliver."

Terra glanced downwards, feeling the familiar burn of tears threatening to emerge from her eyes, "I really didn't mean to be so hard on him. I don't know what came over me. I was just…"

"Not yourself?"

She bit her lip; okay so Katarin had a point, "I've not been feeling great, I admit that. But… why Edgar? Why didn't you talk to me about this?"

Katarin smiled in reply, "Because when it comes to you, you downplay things. You would have refused the help if it were to come from me and the rest of us here. I know he'll make sure you get the help you need. He's sending a medic and knowing him, they'll be one of the best."

Terra shook her head, "This will just worry him needlessly and waste the medic's time. I'm just a little sick and that's causing me to feel a little low."

"I think… there might be more to it than that," Katarin twiddled her fingers more erratically, trying desperately to meet her eyes, but Terra was refusing to look at her, "You've been nauseous. You can't even _look_ at potatoes or anything buttery without feeling sick. Your moods have been up and down. I'll even bet you've been sore, haven't you?"

Terra's arms quickly crossed across her aching breasts. _How did she guess?_

"I just think-" Katarin stammered, "I mean, it cannot hurt to make sure-"

Terra found herself growing impatient, "Make sure of what?"

Katarin swallowed, taking a deep breath before uttering so quietly that Terra had to strain to hear, "…That you're not pregnant."

Something in Terra's stomach dropped. She hadn't even _considered_ that as a possibility. She and Edgar had a perfectly active sex life when they were together, true, but it had been at least a year since their first time and in all of that time, nothing had occurred. Her monthly flow would arrive every month on time without any sort of issue-

 _Or perhaps not._

Her hand flew to her mouth, "I haven't bled in over six weeks."

Katarin's jaw dropped slightly, but she quickly composed herself, "It might be a possibility. Do you remember when I was pregnant with Hope? I went through a lot of the same things you are going through right now and I can't help but see similarities."

"I can't-" Terra's bottom lip quivered as the tears that had previously been threatening to fall now rolled down her cheeks. She couldn't stop the feeling of panic that was beginning to rise in her chest, "I can't- we're not – it'd be a -"

"Calm down," Katarin stretched a hand across the table and squeezed one of hers, "It might be a coincidence. We'll know more when the medic arrives in a few days time."

"The children-" Terra gasped, "What about the children? I can't-"

Katarin smiled wearily; of course, she'd know all about these feelings of fear and uncertainty – she'd been there before. Giving the half-esper's hand another gentle squeeze, she said, "We'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it."

* * *

She had known even before the medic had confirmed it that this was not a simple bug. Ever since a few days before, when Katarin had brought it to her attention, she'd felt a feeling of certainty within her of what this was, and it terrified her – not because she wouldn't be capable of raising a child, she'd raised eight orphans, after all – but because of what Edgar would say.

So when the medic had confirmed that she was pregnant, it hadn't been a surprise. Her heart sank a little bit, regardless.

She wrote the letter to Edgar herself; she'd blotted the ink in a few spots and the parchment had a few tear stains, but it was readable. It would only be a matter of time before he found out and it would be better coming from her. She tried to push aside the fear she had in her heart. _Will he be angry?_

She knew they'd likely need to marry and soon. It wouldn't do for the King of Figaro to have a bastard child. The thought of marrying him didn't upset her; she loved him and he felt the same for her. He had spoken before of how she was the only person he'd want to start a family with, but he'd always held off because of her other children.

This would change that.

* * *

She hadn't been expecting them all to be sat around her table, looking at her with such sombre expressions. She took note of all of their faces, silently regarding how much they had changed.

 _Emily. Jacqueline. Oliver. Geoffrey. Jonathan. Rosemary. Annette. Thomas._

"We wanted to talk to you, Terra, about what's going to happen now," Geoffrey began. Brown eyes were masked by sandy hair that flopped into his face. _You_ _were_ _always_ _t_ _he most mature and peaceful of the boys, quick to stop any fights that sprung up between Tom and Jon._

"We know about the baby," Jacqueline chimed in, "And we know that the King will be here soon." _Oh Jacqueline._ _Nothing ever gets past you._ _You were always the first to let me know if the rest were doing something they shouldn't._

"We've been talking about it," Oliver piped up, fingers nervously brushing across the beginnings of a beard on his face, "And we all have come to a decision." _Oliver. You were always such a boisterous boy, calling names and being rude. You've changed into such a wonderful young man._

"We love you so very much," Rosemary continued before her twin Annette interrupted her, "So we don't want to hold you back…" _Rosemary and Annette. You always used to love confusing me about which one of you was which._

"What do you mean, 'hold me back'?" Terra whispered. She wasn't sure she liked where this conversation was going, "You could _never_ hold me back."

"We know you love him, Mama Terra," Thomas – the youngest of the children – began, "And he loves you, right?" _Always so perceptive, T_ _om_ _, even now._ Terra nodded in reply.

Jonathan took a deep breath before adding to the conversation, "We've discussed it and we think… well, we all agree, anyway-" _What, Jon? It's not like you to hold back on what you truly think, even if it means getting into trouble._

Emily took over, seeing Jon's eyes beginning to water, "You should go with him. To Figaro Castle."

A deafening silence fell. Perhaps she had known, deep down, that this is what they had been trying to tell her, but a part of her still didn't want to hear it. _These are my children. I cannot possibly leave them._

She opened her mouth to protest, only for Geoff to raise a hand in the air to let her know they weren't finished, "We know what you're thinking. That you can't leave us. But we'll be okay. We've been looking after ourselves for a while now. I'd like to think we've all gotten the hang of it."

"Jon and I were thinking of moving to Nikeah," Thomas butted in, "We were going to try and set up our own business down there. We all have our own plans and ideas, so we'll be alright."

Terra continued to fight back the tears as Jacqueline spoke up, "We know you want to be with him. You're not quite as happy when he's not around. And with this new baby, it's the perfect time to go and do just that!"

"But-"

"Remember when you always used to say that we only get one life and we should enjoy it?" Oliver asked bluntly, "Well, what about you? When do you get what _you_ want?"

"I want you in my life," she whispered, tears rolling down my cheeks, "I do want to be with him, but if it means losing you all, then-"

"You won't lose us, Mama," Emily had gotten to her feet and sat beside her, gently squeezing her arm, "You will _never_ lose us. You came into our lives at a time when we had no hope, and you gave that back to us. You did so much for us and you didn't have to. How could we turn away from you after all you've done for us? I'll even come and see you once a month!"

 _Oh Emily, I remember when you were such a sweet, frightened child that was prone to bad dreams and had a little crush on Edgar._ _You're not that frightened child any more. You're brave and strong._ _Where did the time go?_

"I-" Terra swallowed back a sob, causing Emily to lean over and kiss her on the forehead. The brunette gently wiped a stray curl from her face, "Go, Mama. Be with him. Get married and become the queen we already know you are. Have lots of little princes and princesses. Grow old with him. Please."

She cracked a weak smile, gently wiping some of the tears from her somewhat reddened cheeks, "You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?"

"Nope!" the teens replied in unison, wearing watery grins.

* * *

He'd arrived a few short days later, looking a little paler than what she was used to seeing. Being that he lived in the desert, she was used to seeing him tanned with his face full of life and laughter. This time he looked anxious, nervously tapping his fingers at his sides before taking her hand and guiding her to the cliff it had all started on.

She had known what he was going to ask her. She hadn't had to think hard about the response, only about the consequences following said response, and the young adults she would have to leave behind. She remembered the conversation she had had with them, and knew in her heart that they were right. They didn't need her any more, not truly. They were near enough fully grown, and more than capable of taking care of themselves. She'd miss them, true, but they would always be a part of her and she a part of them.

Gazing into Edgar's wonderful blue eyes, she realized that it was he and their unborn child who needed her now.

She said yes.

* * *

 _Just another idea that came to my head. I have a whole bunch. It's just putting them into words that's the hard part. Anyway, it's good to be writing again._


	6. Changes - Part 2

When that letter reached his hand and his eyes had devoured the words that had been written, he hadn't been sure of how to react. On the one hand, it was a good thing that Terra was capable of conceiving a child; the council would surely refuse to allow him to marry her if she were infertile and thus unable to provide him an heir. But on the other end of the spectrum, fear and uncertainty gripped his chest. Why now? Why did this have to happen _now?_

He knew why, of course. He had gotten careless. He'd always prided himself on the fact that he had never impregnated any of the women he'd slept with; he had methods which would ensure that didn't happen. He and Terra had been careful at first, yet as time went on, he had taken less care, instead choosing to lose himself in her, and when nothing occurred, he'd continued with that approach. He'd become cocky. Which had led to _this_.

Gripping the letter in his hand tightly, he immediately sought out the chancellor. Tomorrow's meeting with the council would need to be postponed. This was far more important. He needed to go to her; for all he knew, she was confused and perhaps frightened. Perhaps he felt that way too (though he hesitated to admit it to himself).

He found the man in his solar, waiting for him. _Of course._ The older man quickly bent forwards into a short bow, "Your Majesty. The meeting has been arranged for eleven o'clock tomorrow morning as has been requested."

"Cancel it," Edgar replied shortly, "Something important has come up. I need my Chocobo prepared immediately."

"I-" the old man spluttered, "Your Majesty, this meeting is extremely important – what on earth could _possibly_ be more important than _this_?"

Edgar frowned at him; he didn't have time for this, "I need to go to Mobliz."

" _Mobliz?_ " the chancellor's face settled into a flustered frown, "Truly? I'm sure whatever time you have planned with Lady Branford surely cannot be more important than-"

Sighing in exasperation, Edgar thrust the letter into the chancellor's hands. The man was his most trusted advisor and it would only be a matter of time before he'd become aware of the matter. He noted the man's old grey eyes scanning the letter, before widening in shock. Upon finishing the letter, he folded it and returned it to him, "I see."

"It is important that I go to her as soon as I possibly can," Edgar tucked the letter into his waistcoat, "I'm sure you can understand why."

"Yes, of course," the old man nodded before smiling weakly, "Matron is going to be furious with you, I hope you understand that."

Edgar returned his smile; of course Matron would be furious. She'd been forever drumming into his head the importance of _not_ siring illegitimate children and of being careful. Then again, she'd never approved of his previous flirtatious ways either, always quick to scold him if he flirted when in her presence. She was perhaps the nearest thing he had to a mother. He inwardly winced; he didn't want to think about his mother. Not right now.

He turned his attention back to the chancellor, "Of course, I do understand that. But as of right now, Matron is not my concern. Terra is."

"I shall see about cancelling that meeting then. It shall raise questions, however, Your Majesty. The council will wish to know why you've disappeared so suddenly."

"This stays between us for now," Edgar told him firmly; he didn't need any sort of scandal to occur and Terra _especially_ shouldn't need to deal with the potential abuse that would follow her if this reached the wrong ears, "I shall inform Matron once I return. Make up an excuse to the council."

" _Lie_ to the _council_ , Your Majesty?" the old man seemed shocked at such a suggestion.

"Yes, old friend, _lie_ ," Edgar replied before sweeping out of the room.

* * *

He hadn't been sure of what to expect when he saw her face, but he certainly didn't expect her to be so _pale_. Her green eyes met his briefly before flicking toward the floor, almost as if she felt… ashamed? He felt confused; she had nothing to be ashamed about. 'I'm sorry' and 'Are you angry?' were some of the first words from her mouth, and it made him feel ill. Did she truly believe that she was to blame for this happening at this point in time? He quickly reassured her with a gentle rub of her shoulder and suggested they go to the cliff to chat privately.

They walked in silence with hands intertwined, Edgar noticing Terra's other hand casually straying up to her flat stomach and gently stroking it. He swallowed, burying his hand deep in his pocket. He hoped he'd brought it – he'd feel like such a fool if he'd left in such a hurry that he'd left it behind. His fingers closed around a small box and he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

He'd known the very second that the possibility had been presented to him in Katarin's letter what he would do if it transpired she was pregnant. His mother's ring – so very precious to him and his brother – was carefully enclosed inside. He'd always imagined that when he finally proposed to the woman he loved, it would be a joyous affair. He would get down on one knee, present the ring, and she'd burst into tears of joy, flinging herself into his arms with a cry of 'yes'. He didn't need to be a genius to know that it wasn't going to work out that way.

As they reached the cliff, Terra gently sat on the grass and began to run her fingers over some regrowing daisies. Edgar took a deep breath; no time like the present. He removed the box from his pocket and turned to Terra, who still seemed a tad distracted by the flowers.

"You probably knew this was coming," he began, trying to swallow down his nerves, "You know I love you, more than I ever thought it was possible for a man to love a woman. And now with _this_ ," he gestured towards her belly, "Well, I thought it was about time I finally asked you… if you would marry me."

Terra breathed out slightly, her eyes slightly misting over despite her warm smile, "I had a feeling you'd ask, and yes, of course I will."

* * *

The Matron had been every bit as furious as Edgar had suspected she would be, yet for all of her lecturing him (something he _really_ hated but supposed was to be expected), she had been very kind and gentle to Terra, who had somewhat retreated into herself upon arrival at the castle and remained that way for several days.

He wondered if Terra was having second thoughts of marrying him. When he'd found himself wondering out loud, Matron had overheard and with a hearty laugh, informed him that it wasn't unusual for pregnancy hormones to play an enormous role in leaving a woman feeling deeply emotional.

"If she didn't want to be here, she wouldn't be," she said sharply before turning on her heel and leaving.

Mercifully, she had turned out to be correct. The days passed them by and their wedding drew ever closer. The Matron and chancellor had both insisted that it needed to be soon in order to make it harder for anyone to directly state outright as a fact that the child was conceived out of wedlock – it would be very tight however and rumors were still bound to spread. As time went on, Terra started to perk up and, in time, he began to recognize the woman he loved again. It was almost as if nothing had changed between them at all.

Except everything had.

* * *

 _Her loud screams pierced through his head as he observed her laying on one of the many beds in the infirmary, arching her back and pressing her chin to her chest._ _E_ _verything seemed to happen at once._

 _Midwives and medics rushed into the room as Terra let out one last pained scream, only to be followed by a louder, higher-pitched scream. He glanced upwards to see if he could catch a glance but the babe had already been whisked away. His eyes fell downwards and felt his heart freeze over in his chest._

 _The bed was covered in blood. His eyes traveled up to meet Terra's and he noted that she was pale – paler than she'd ever been at any point in the pregnancy. Her eyes had lost her usual sparkle. She smiled weakly at him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze._

 _"Please… look after our baby…" her eyes slowly began to close as she whispered, "I love you…"_

 _"No, you can't leave me!" he cried, "Terra, please! Open your eyes! TERRA!"_

* * *

"I really want some toast."

His eyes regarded her lightly from across his desk, taking in her small, beautiful body. She had changed a lot in the several months since he'd learned of her condition. Her breasts had become larger – once upon a time he may have been overly pleased by this perk – but he had too many other things on his mind to really pay attention. Below them, her belly curved outwards in a perfect circular shape. If he'd ever been the sort to bury his head in the sand and pretend it wasn't happening, well, he wouldn't be able to do it at this point. Even a fool could tell she was expecting.

His lips curved upwards, "Shall I send for some, love?"

She nodded eagerly – even though she was Queen, she still didn't like to make an enormous fuss and felt awkward asking for things directly, "Thank you."

"Anything in particular you'd like on it?"

"Hmm," she hummed, glancing down at her swollen belly affectionately, "I think he likes the sound of cheese and jam."

He raised an eyebrow; even though he'd gotten used to some of the more unusual requests she'd been making lately, they were still somewhat amusing, "Are you _quite_ sure?"

She nodded, her cheeks beginning to flush, "Look, I _know_ it's strange but I really, really want it, okay? And so does he." She gestured to her stomach. Edgar couldn't help but smile – she had taken to referring to the child by male pronouns lately. He'd asked her how she could be so sure the child was male, but she had simply shrugged and insisted that 'she just knew'. He sighed, ringing the bell on his desk to summon a maid.

The maids had mostly become quite taken with Terra, to his relief. Only one or two were hesitant or outright hostile towards her, and those attitudes were quickly quelled. Most of them, however, chatted to her with respect at the very least or were otherwise outright friendly with her. Some had even expressed their gratitude to her for 'stopping the King's bad habit'. They were also deeply excited for the birth of the future prince or princess. He wished he could feel the same.

Terra had grown used to the idea of becoming a mother to their child fairly quickly. He supposed the fact that the children in Mobliz wrote to her frequently and even visited from time to time had helped her with that. But she'd also always been very maternal and as a result had quickly grown fond of the child growing inside of her. She'd read and sing to the bump nearly every evening. He wanted to be able to feel the connection with the child that she had, but it simply wasn't there.

After the maid had come and left, Terra glanced up at him with concern, "You were calling my name again in your sleep."

"Ah, was I?" Edgar forced himself to pay attention to whatever paperwork lay on the desk in front of him – he didn't really want to talk about this. Not again. He forced a smile back onto his lips, "Forgive me, my love. I certainly don't wish to disturb your sleep. Certainly not when the little one does enough of that already."

"You had another bad dream, didn't you?"

He paused, letting out a heavy sigh. There was no point in hiding it from her. She was already well aware of his mother and how she had died, after she had been told by others. It didn't exactly please him to know that she was perfectly aware of his misgivings about the situation – she needed to look after herself, rather than worry about him. Yet worry she would, it was just a part of who she was.

"Nothing's going to happen to me, Edgar," she says softly, placing a small warm hand on her belly to stroke it, "I promise you, I'm going to be fine and our baby's going to be fine."

He knew that likely would be the case, but he also knew it wouldn't erase his worries.

"Give me your hand," Terra told him firmly, standing up and moving next to him. He looked at her with faint amusement. It wasn't often that she _told_ him to do something. That side of her normally only came out when they were intimate.

"Why, my dear?"

"Just… please. Trust me."

He sighed and placed his hand in her smaller, warm one. Before he could even ask what this was about, Terra gently guided his hand to her swollen belly. He swallowed again; it wasn't as if he hadn't touched her belly at all, but he had _so much_ paperwork to do and council meetings to arrange… he hadn't the time for this now. She looked at him expectantly, still smiling softly and keeping her hand firmly pressed over his, "Give him a minute."

They remained that way for a few seconds. He exhaled; he appreciated her efforts but he really needed to get back to work, else the chancellor would be breathing down his neck soon enough.

Then he felt it. It was hard to describe but it was almost like a tiny part of Terra's belly pushed itself outwards into his hand; it was such a small pressure, and only lasted a fraction of a second, but it was there, and he couldn't quite manage to believe what he'd experienced. His heart fluttered in his chest; he'd known what that was. Their child was awake and somewhat lively, it seemed.

Terra licked her lips, squeezing his hand gently, "It _will_ be okay."

For the first time in a long time, he felt the dread in his chest slip away and he was content. Perhaps even a little excited, though he wasn't entirely sure.

* * *

Edgar sat on his throne, a glass of wine in one hand; goodness knew he'd need it to help his nerves remain calm. Terra had begun experiencing labor pains earlier that day, so it was only a matter of time before the child entered the world. She had squeezed his hand reassuringly before leaving to have a bath, insisting that the water would probably take the edge off of the pain, at least for now. He'd been informed that it would likely be a while yet before the child would be ready to make its grand entrance, and that her contractions – while relatively mild now – would grow stronger in time.

So all he could do was wait. Wait and drink wine. He didn't even have any official business to take his mind off of anything – though he imagined he wouldn't be able to keep his mind off of Terra even if he had.

"Ah, _there_ you are, brother!"

Broken from his thoughts, he glanced up to see Sabin approaching him. Of _all_ the days for his younger twin to drop by, it had to be today. The muscular blond took a seat on the second throne beside his, grinning madly, "Got any for me?"

Edgar silently gestured to the bottle on the side table, and watched as Sabin helped himself and returned to his seat. Swishing the wine in his glass, he turned to face him once more, "So how's life been? Terra doing alright? How long before I get to meet my little niece or nephew?"

"Contractions started this morning. So maybe today," he replied shortly, taking a long drink.

Sabin's grin only widened at that, "Really? Man, my timing was good! Guess I'll have to stick around. Meet the kid. Can't _believe_ my brother's going to be a daddy. Mom and Dad would be so proud."

Edgar didn't have a reply to that, so simply let the silence speak for him. His brother leaned toward him, his smile replaced by a slight frown, "You don't seem all that happy about it."

"I'm fine."

"I don't believe you. I know when you're worried, Ed, and that is your worried face."

More silence. What could he say to that? Sabin was his twin – the one person on the planet who knew him better than anybody else. Of course he'd know what he was feeling to some degree and possibly the reasoning for it too. After all, he wasn't the only one to have lost their mother in childbirth.

He chanced a look upwards to see his brother leaning toward him, "Brother, she survived the Empire. She survived _Kefka_. If she survived all of those things, she can survive this _easily_. She's strong enough."

Sabin would never know how much he'd needed to hear those words.

* * *

Edgar knew childbirth was painful, and even with all of his research into the matter when he had the time spare, he wasn't prepared for how unpleasant the experience could be. Hearing Terra's cries of pain filled him with guilt all over again and it wasn't long before he found himself recalling his nightmares. He willed himself to push those thoughts aside; she needed him right here, right now. He allowed her to tightly squeeze his hand – he wouldn't make a fuss of it, no matter how much it was starting to hurt.

"The head's out, your Majesty! One last big push on your next contraction should do it!" the midwife informed them. Terra nodded between gasps. Edgar quickly turned and grabbed a cloth from the table behind him with his spare hand and promptly set to work on dabbing at his wife's sweaty forehead. He knew he probably ought to say something, so he leaned in close and whispered, "You're doing wonderful, my love."

She smiled weakly at him for a fraction of a second before turning her gaze again, pressing her chin to her chest, leaning forward and letting out a loud, pained grunt. In only a short time, it was all over. His wife collapsed back into her pillows with another heavy gasp while the midwife and one of the medics gathered around the small form that had just emerged. Another couple of seconds later, the baby began to cry.

* * *

Sabin was waiting for him in the courtyard. His face appeared concerned yet filled with anticipation, "Well? How is everything?"

While the king had appeared anxious before, he now appeared to be the picture of pride. He was grinning from ear to ear, "Fine. They're both doing very well."

"And?"

"It's a boy, and he has quite the set of lungs on him," Edgar replied enthusiastically, "I was on my way to find the chancellor, actually. There will no doubt need to be an announcement soon."

"I can do that," Sabin butted in, quickly getting to his feet, "You get back to your wife and kid. I'll swing by and say hello tomorrow, maybe, if that's alright. Tell Terra I said hi."

Edgar nodded, before returning to his family, smile still tugging at his lips.

* * *

"Didn't I tell you everything would be alright?" Terra teased, gently holding their son to her breast to feed, running her thumb over the small amount of hair growing on the child's head.

Edgar nodded, his cheeks somewhat flushed, "I believe you did, my dear. I was a fool not to believe in you or your strength."

The babe unlatched from the queen's breast and gazed up at Terra with wide blue eyes, jerking his arms. The green-haired beauty's eyes were filled with nothing more than deep love for the infant in her arms. It made Edgar's heart swell. He edged forward in his seat slightly, "A lot has changed this year, hasn't it?"

Terra nodded, not tearing her eyes from their son, "It has," she licked her lips again, before finally turning to face him, "Thank you."

He blinked in confusion, "For what?"

"For all of this," she leaned toward him as far as she could; he quickly got the hint and closed the gap between them, pecking her lips gently before she whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too," he replied softly, resting a hand on her warm cheek and glancing down at their quiet, curious babe, "Both of you."

"Would you like to hold him?"

As he took his child into his arms and gazed down into the infant's blue eyes, he felt his heart swell with the intense feeling of love. It had been rough going, and not all of the changes that had occurred in their lives were initially met with joy or anticipation, but he could safely say that right at that moment he held no regrets.

* * *

 _A/N: I wanted to explore Edgar's view as much as Terra's, hence why Changes sort of wound up being a two-parter. Nonetheless, thanks for reading!_


	7. Babysitting

It was incredibly hot that day, even for the desert. Despite being born and raised at Figaro Castle, Sabin found that he'd been away for so long that he'd found he'd needed to adjust to the heat all over again. The sun burned on his back and exposed arms – he'd probably wind up with sunburn if he wasn't careful, but if it came to that, he'd probably be able to buy some paste of some sort when he returned to South Figaro with his niece and nephew in tow.

Thinking on that, he probably should have brought something ready for the travel back. Oh well. Hopefully Edgar and Terra would be able to provide him with something.

It had been a couple of months back that he'd extended an offer to his brother and sister-in-law to take their young children back to his little humble house that he'd had rebuilt just outside of South Figaro. He was in a pretty decent spot; only half a day's Chocobo ride from the castle and approximately an hour or so away from the town. Hopefully, the kids wouldn't get too bored.

The reason for his offer? Terra was, rather unintentionally, expecting again. Sabin knew his brother in particular wasn't entirely keen on having another child following the difficult birth of their daughter Madeline; Terra had been unconscious for nearly two days following the birth and the girl had to have particular treatment for jaundice. Granted, it may not have sounded severe to some, but Sabin and Edgar both knew that childbirth carried many risks, including death. It had been the reason they'd grown up without their mother.

He hadn't been around when that had happened; he'd been north in Narshe training some of the kids, following his desire to continue spreading Duncan's teachings. The first he'd heard of it was when Madeline was two months old and had fully recovered alongside her mother. His brother had initially brushed off his concerns, but Sabin knew Edgar too well. The guilt of abandoning Edgar to rule the kingdom all those years ago still stuck in his gut to this day and that feeling had only worsened when he'd learned the truth of what had occurred with Madeline and Terra. So upon learning Terra was expecting a third child, he'd decided to ensure he would be there.

" _I'll come up to the castle and stick around," Sabin had told his brother a couple of months earlier, "That way I'll be around if you need me."_

" _That won't be necessary," Edgar had smiled in return, "I can't ask you to stop everything you're doing for this."_

" _I want to," Sabin had replied fiercely, "Even if it turns out fine this time, I… I don't want you to feel like you haven't got any support."_

 _His brother had laughed – it seemed a tad wistful and Sabin could hear the anxiety in his voice – still, he clapped his shoulder, "I shall be fine, brother. You don't need to worry about me."_

 _Silence had fallen between the two, before the king had glanced up at his brother, the corners of his lips curved upwards, "Though if you want to help in any way, perhaps the children might appreciate some time away from the castle in the company of their Uncle Sabin."_

" _You want me to take the kids?"_

" _If you want to then perhaps, when the time comes. I'm sure they'd enjoy it and it would mean more focus would be on Terra."_

 _Sabin smiled in return, "Consider it done then."_

It had been settled, Terra had agreed to the plan and Leo had practically bounced from room to room since being told. Madeline was the only unknown factor, given she could be a tad… clingy. Still, he was sure he could win her over – it would be good for her to be away from her parents for a bit.

He'd arrived at the castle by midday. He dismounted his chocobo, leading the grand beast off to the side of the castle where the stables were; chocobos were very well built to handle heat and sunlight, but that didn't mean he couldn't get the thing into some shade as soon as he could. Upon ensuring the large bird was settled with the stable staff and enjoying a nice, long drink, Sabin traveled around to the entrance once more and took in the sight of his childhood home. It hadn't changed that much, in all honesty. It was still as regal and strong as always and still filled him with the familiar warmth that came with being home.

He found the family in the dining room. Madeline was sat on his brother's lap, babbling away incoherently. Terra was fussing over Leo, pausing every now and then to take a long, deep breath with a grimace, one hand clutching her large belly. She was definitely in early labor, that much was certain.

At that moment, Leo looked away from his mother and met his eyes. The eight-year old's face lit up in an excited beam as he tore past Terra and threw himself at his uncle with a loud cry of joy, "UNCLE SABIN!"

"Hey, squirt," Sabin fondly ruffled the boy's shoulder-length blonde hair, "How are you doing?"

"Good," the boy replied enthusiastically, "So are we going soon? Do you have a separate bed? I _really_ don't want to share with Maddie! Oh, and could we go to South Figaro to see Cid and Ralph?"

"Whoa, Leo, calm down, give your uncle a chance to breath," Edgar laughed, gently coaxing a reluctant Madeline off of his lap so he could get up and envelop his brother in a hug, "It's good to see you, brother. Was it a safe journey?"

"Pretty boring, honestly," Sabin ran a hand over his short ponytail, "I wouldn't have minded a few Sand Rays to make the journey a little more interesting."

" _Sand Rays?"_ a small voice squeaked from the corner. Madeline's small six-year old fingers were clutching the table cloth. Sabin laughed, "Don't worry, little princess. Sand Rays are really nothing to worry about. Especially not when you're with me."

The small girl chewed her lip, clearly uncertain. Leo grinned wildly, "I hope we find some. I want to see you beat 'em up!"

Sabin smiled, "Perhaps one day I'll teach you how to."

* * *

It had taken some time to convince little Madeline that there would be no threat of danger on the road back to South Figaro. The little girl's bottom lip had quivered as her parents each kissed her forehead and bade her farewell. Leo had skipped ahead to the stables gleefully while Edgar shouted after the boy that he was to behave himself. Sabin knew that Leo could be a handful, but he refused to believe that it could be as bad as his brother was making it out to be.

Ensuring the children were safely mounted on their chocobos, Sabin pulled himself up behind Madeline and grabbed the reins. Terra had been insistent that the girl was far too young to ride alone, something the child hadn't argued about, given that she was nervous about being away from her parents for a whole night, possibly two. Leo, on the other hand, _had_ argued fiercely that he could ride alone and, after promising his mother that he would stay close to Sabin and not charge off like he'd try to do in riding lessons, she'd reluctantly agreed.

Sabin cast a glance across at the boy; he looked every bit the prince, even though he was dressed down in a basic white shirt and blue trousers. His golden hair had been tied back at his mother's insistence, his sapphire eyes wide and drinking in every detail of the desert. No doubt looking for Sand Rays.

He felt Madeline shift in front of him, so his attentions shifted down to her. Her pale green curls were also tied back, though they looked as if they had been done hastily. The girl's own blue eyes were looking down at her small hands, which were gripping onto the chocobo as tightly as she could manage. The ends of her emerald dress whipped in the wind as they rode.

He almost didn't hear her speak among the sounds of the wind beating against him, "Will mummy and the baby be alright?"

He honestly didn't have a certain answer to that; he didn't want to lie to the girl. She'd almost certainly given them a scare when she was born, as had her mother. In fact, thinking on it, the whole of Terra's pregnancy with Madeline had been difficult, or so Edgar had told him. He didn't know the exact details, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. What he did know was that Terra's pregnancy had supposedly been very smooth this time around, and that midwives hadn't expressed many concerns. Sabin smiled down at the girl, "I'm sure they'll be just fine."

* * *

He took them to South Figaro first. He'd needed extra supplies, especially with two extra mouths to feed that night, and he'd promised Leo that they'd go and see Cid after the boy would not stop talking about it. He'd concede that Edgar was right on one front; Leo loved to talk. He always had done. Sabin recalled one time when he'd affectionately referred to the boy as 'a chatterbox', only for Terra to chide him by insisting that saying such things in front of him may affect his confidence.

 _Yeah… nothing to worry about on that front. The kid's got more confidence than most adults!_

After buying what he needed, the three headed towards the lower end of town where Locke and Celes lived with their two sons. The house was small, with a thatched roof and picket fence. He'd never have imagined either Locke or Celes as the 'white picket fence' types, yet there they were. Celes had seemed pleased to see him when she'd answered the door alone.

"Locke's off thieving again," she told him quietly away from the children, her lips curved upwards in humour.

"Don't you mean treasure-hunting?" he replied, his tone amused as he took a sip of green tea. Celes chuckled.

"That's what I tell them," she whispered, jerking her thumb back in the direction of the room the children were all playing in, "But we both know the truth."

He laughed at that before pausing to observe the woman in front of him. After the world had ended, he'd traveled from town to town, half-starved and often bloodied and bruised, searching for his friends and his brother. She had been the first one he had found – though to be more accurate, _she_ had found _him_. He'd been making inquiries with some of the people of Tzen when Kefka's Light of Judgement had struck, landing close enough to one of the houses that the ground's foundations had started to give way. A lady had screamed that her child was inside, and he'd thrown himself beneath a collapsing wall without even thinking. That was when, as if by a miracle or answered prayer, Celes had appeared and set about to the task of saving the child.

They'd traveled alone together for weeks afterwards, and as a result, he'd gotten to know her quite well. More so than some of the other crew members. He'd even go as far as to say he'd grown quite fond of her during that time and – though he'd never admit it to her – if he'd _had_ to marry like his brother did, she'd probably be the least objectionable option of any woman he'd ever met. She wasn't just beautiful, with golden hair and sapphire eyes, she was one hell of a tough cookie that was more than capable of taking care of herself.

It didn't matter though. She only ever had eyes for Locke and he was perfectly fine about that. That and he didn't really have to worry about anything like marrying, especially not with Leo, Madeline and hopefully this new baby being ahead of him in the line of succession. That life wasn't for him anyhow.

"Is Terra well?" she asked, following a sip of her own green tea and a brief glance down to the side of the table to where her youngest son Ralph was playing.

He shrugged, "About as well as she can be, I guess. She hasn't been having any problems from what I've heard."

"Hmm," she replied, fingers idly tapping on the side of her cup. Of course, she'd worry about Terra; she was the closest thing to a sister she'd ever known, "I hope things go well."

"Me too," he nodded, glancing towards the doorway leading into the room the children were playing in, "For Edgar's sake as much as Terra's. And the kids."

Celes smiled slyly, "You're brave, you know. Taking them on on your own. Especially Leo. I can speak from experience when I say that he can be quite a handful."

Sabin laughed, "He's a good kid!"

"For certain, but he gets carried away very easily," she replied, "And I can't help but believe that there may be a reason for that."

"Like what?" he asked, eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Jealousy. He's always been incredibly jealous of Madeline and the attention she gets. I imagine this new one won't be any different."

"Edgar's never said anything about that," Sabin shrugged with a frown.

"He wouldn't, because he doesn't see it," Celes told him, gently allowing a hand to fall to her side to ruffle her two-year old son's light brown hair, "Can you honestly tell me you've _never_ felt jealous of Edgar growing up?"

Sabin sat back, his hand gently stroking the short beard he'd grown. Of course, he'd been jealous of Edgar. It was a silly question, really. He'd always been such a sickly child growing up, having inherited a condition from his grandfather. As a result, Edgar had always been the stronger of the two as well as smarter; the apple of their father's eye. Of course, he knew _now_ that his father had loved and appreciated his own qualities just as much, but at the time, he'd felt so _inadequate_ ; a failure, compared to his twin. Perhaps that been part of the reason why he'd left Figaro to be ruled by Edgar, even if it _had_ turned out to be the right decision for everyone.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a loud scream, followed by Madeline charging into the room, red-faced with tears streaming down her cheeks. She was so hysterical, that he couldn't quite make sense of what she was saying.

Luckily, Celes seemed to know what to do, turning to the girl and speaking firmly, "Calm down. Breathe, Madeline. Now, tell me what's wrong."

The girl seemed startled at first – perhaps because Terra always spoke so warmly and with more patience – but eventually her sobs became a little more controlled, her bottom lip quivering a little less, "Leo p-pushed me," she whispered, "H-he said I couldn't p-play with Cid's t-trains because I'm a g-g-girl…"

"Right," Celes' own lips thinned before turning back to Sabin, "Are you going to deal with this?"

He nodded dumbly. _Of course, they're my responsibility for the time being._ He got to his feet, making his way over to the other room. He could hear Celes begin to speak to Madeline again, her voice a little less harsh, "Listen to me, Maddie. Girls _can_ play with trains if they want to. They can _wear_ anything they want to, _be_ anything they want to. Don't _ever_ let your brother tell you otherwise."

He smiled at Celes' words and, turning his attention back to the task at hand, Sabin pushed the door open. He could see Celes' eldest son Cid, quietly sat in the corner with a book in his hands, blue eyes studying the words within while wiping stray brown strands of hair from his forehead. Scouring his eyes over the room, he spotted Leo sprawled on the floor on his stomach, hands occupying themselves with two navy green trains while vocalizing an action-packed plot synopsis.

He cleared his throat, "Leo."

The boy turned. He was biting his lip, a trait he and his sister seemed to have gotten from their mother. Sabin paused, trying not to give off the impression that he felt like he had no idea what he was doing, "Did you push your sister?"

The boy didn't reply. Cid, still in the corner, buried his head deeper into his book, his cheeks flushed. Sabin found he didn't need to ask the other boy what had happened; the silence from Leo told him all he needed to know, "Right. Get up. We're going."

"What?" the boy cried, "B-but I was having fun!"

"Did you push your sister?" he asked again firmly. He was starting to get into the right mindset; it really wasn't _much_ different to how he'd approach one of the children he'd train. He briefly wondered how Edgar and Terra would handle such behavior, but then pushed that thought out of his head.

"She wouldn't leave me alone!" the boy shouted back defiantly, before turning to the other boy in the room with him, "Tell him, Cid!"

Cid's cheeks reddened, "S-she wasn't causing any harm…"

"Cid!"

"We're going," Sabin repeated, muscular arms folded across his chest.

"But-"

" _Now."_

The boy shrieked in frustration, slamming the trains in his hand down to the floor as hard as he possibly could. Cid's eyes looked at the floor as his toys were brutally attacked by the angry little prince. Stomping out of the room, Leo stuck his tongue out at the other child, "Traitor!"

* * *

It wasn't a fun evening. Leo had stormed off upstairs into the room he was to share with Madeline immediately upon returning and slammed the door shut. Sabin sighed, running a hand over his ponytail. Madeline was sat on one of his armchairs, hugging her legs close to her chest.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"Don't be," he replied softly, approaching her and leaning down, taking her small, trembling body into his arms, "It's not your fault."

The girl's bottom lip quivered again, "I miss Mummy and Daddy. I want to go home."

"It's a bit late to be travelling now, princess," he began; of the two children, Madeline was always the one he couldn't quite get a handle on; perhaps it showed, hence her nervousness, "Why don't we get some supper and get ready to head to bed?"

"Leo won't want me in there."

"Leo's not the boss of this house."

"I'm scared," she whimpered, blue eyes moistening again, "C-can I sleep in your bed instead?"

Sabin sighed again; he was a big man, he took up a lot of room. Still, perhaps there'd be enough room for a small six year old to squeeze in. He wondered briefly if she slept with her parents sometimes. He could imagine Edgar not being entirely pleased with that arrangement. He grinned at the thought. Turning his attentions back to her, he scooped her up into his strong arms, "Of course you can, princess."

* * *

It had been about an hour since Madeline fell asleep when the letter arrived. His lips curved upwards; it hadn't taken long at all. Terra had been safely delivered of a son; she was doing well as was the babe. He had sighed with relief; it was a huge weight from his mind. Given that it was late, however, he knew it'd be best to wait until tomorrow before setting off back to Figaro Castle. Madeline would no doubt be thrilled; she had told him over dinner that while she'd prefer a sister, she wouldn't mind if she were to have another brother so long as they 'weren't mean like Leo'.

Speaking of Leo, the room he'd holed himself up in had been silent for quite some time. He wondered if the boy had fallen asleep and decided to check.

Poking his head around the door, he noticed Leo was still awake, his back to the door, facing the wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest and his legs crossed. Sabin briefly recalled the conversation he'd had with Celes; perhaps he ought to see if the boy was up for a chat. He knocked.

Leo turned, his sapphire eyes regarding him coolly. Sabin cleared his throat, "May I come in?"

Leo turned back to the wall, "Your house," he replied coldly, "I'm not the boss of it."

Sabin paused for a second; had he perhaps heard what he'd said to his sister? Pushing the thought aside, he entered the room, closing the door behind him and sitting on Leo's bed beside him, "Why are you staring at the wall?"

"Matron makes me do it when I'm bad," he replied shortly. It was clear the boy had little interest in talking. Celes' words still rang through his mind. He wouldn't give up, at least not yet.

He chuckled, "Oh yes. I remember that. She used to do the same to your dad and me. She also used to threaten to bang our heads together when we fought. She stood for no nonsense."

Leo didn't answer.

"You know you don't have to look at the wall here, though, don't you? I'd say you've been disciplined enough. And I'm not Matron."

Still no answer. _Time to try a different tactic._

"I got a letter," Sabin began again, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder and feeling relieved when he didn't immediately flinch away, "Your mother's had the baby. You have a little brother. They're both doing well, so the plan is to return you and your sister home tomorrow as soon as we've eaten breakfast."

"I don't _want_ a little brother!" the young prince suddenly snapped, turning to Sabin with a dark glare on his face, "I don't want _any_ of it! I _hate_ him and I _hate_ Maddie!"

" _Jealousy. He's always been incredibly jealous of Madeline and the attention she gets. I imagine this new one won't be any different."_

"You don't mean that," Sabin told him, hand still resting on the boy's shoulder firmly.

"I do!" Leo spat, "Dad _always_ tells me off, he _never_ tells Maddie off! Maddie always gets whatever she wants from him and he doesn't want to play with me _at all!_ Now he's going to want to play with this _stupid_ baby and not me!"

Sabin fell silent. Was it really that bad? That wasn't like Edgar at all. He shook his head; he never expected such a difficult conversation, "You know your dad loves you-"

"He loves Maddie more," Leo cut him off. Sabin found that on closer examination, his nephew's eyes were wet. Had he been crying? How long for? How had he not heard him before now?

He thought back to when he was younger, to those feelings of inadequacy that used to boil inside of him. Did he ever hate Edgar when he was younger? No, thinking on it, he never did. If anything, he hated himself more but found himself unable to realize that fact properly until he was older. True, there were times he perhaps resented Edgar, and there were times when they even fought. But at his core, he always knew he loved his brother and would do anything for him. Sabin had no doubt that Leo felt the same for his sister and would grow to feel the same for his new brother. The problem didn't lay with them. Granted, being King was busy work. He knew from his experience growing up watching his own father. Even he'd resented it sometimes. But even so…

Sabin chuckled, leaning in towards the young prince, "He cried the day you were born, you know. Your mother told me. She said he was so happy he cried."

The lad remained silent so Sabin took said silence as his opportunity to continue, "You know, when I was young, your dad and I would fight sometimes. I used to think my dad loved him more. Your dad was always so smart and strong and everything I thought a prince should be."

"He's not as strong as you," Leo interrupted, arms loosening from his sides, his guard seeming to come down a little.

"Back when we were kids, I was a bit of a weakling. I got sick a lot. So your dad was definitely stronger than me back then. But that's not the point – the point is, I was wrong. My dad never loved either of us more than the other. It's the same with your dad. He might be busy a lot and the younger ones might demand more attention, but I know he thinks the world of you," his grin widened, "I remember when he told me you were born, he had this big stupid smile on his face. He couldn't have been prouder."

Upon hearing that, Leo let out a small laugh. Sensing the breakthrough, Sabin edged closer and put a thick, muscular arm around his nephew's shoulders, "I can talk to him if you want. Maybe see about getting something arranged for just the two of you. Would you like that?"

The lad bit his lip, looking unsure, "Maybe. He won't be mad, will he?"

"Of course he won't," patting the boy's shoulder, Sabin began to get to his feet, "Anyway, you'd best try and get some sleep. We'll be leaving pretty early tomorrow to get you home."

The boy nodded quietly, stifling a yawn before turning to him once more, "Uncle Sabin?"

"Yeah, kiddo?"

Leo smiled, "Thank you."

* * *

The very second Madeline had seen her father, she'd let out a loud squeal, flinging her arms around his legs until he'd finally bent down to her level to embrace her properly. The little princess bounced up and down on her feet, the same question exiting her lips every few seconds - 'where's mummy and the baby?'

"Hold on, Maddie," Edgar laughed, "Let me say hello to your brother first," he turned to Leo, still smiling, "Did you have fun?"

The prince lowered his head and nodded, "Yeah, it was good."

Edgar raised an eyebrow, no doubt surprised that his son _wasn't_ excitedly nattering away about his time away from the castle. Sabin made a mental note to try and pull him aside later for a chat. Regardless, the king clapped his hands together, "Right, shall we go and see the little one?"

"Yes!" Madeline squealed, clasping his hand tightly, "I can't wait to see him! Is he cute? Do you think he'll like me?"

* * *

Sabin hadn't been surprised when Madeline attempted to throw herself at Terra like she had with Edgar, but upon seeing the tiny bundle in her mother's arms, the girl seemed to back off a little bit, her eyes still wide with excitement, "Can I see him?"

"Of course you can, sweetling," the green-haired woman replied, gently leaning forward and shifting her position to enable the girl a better look. Madeline's mouth dropped open, "Oh he's _so cute!_ Does he have a name?"

Terra smiled, "We've decided to name him Gerad."

It was Sabin's turn for his jaw to drop as he turned to his brother, who at least had the good grace to look at least a little bit embarrassed, " _Really?_ You named him after _that_ little ploy? I thought you would be more original than that!"

"Hey, I'd like to see _you_ come up with something better!"

Terra simply smiled, "I like it. It's unique," she turned to Edgar, "Aren't you going to tell Sabin what his full name is?"

Edgar nodded, before turning his attentions back to his brother, "His full name is Gerad Sabin Figaro."

"Oh, you _didn't_ ," He hadn't expected that, and it showed. Had he been much younger and much less in control of his emotions, he might have sobbed a little bit. Just a little bit. But now… Goddammit, he wasn't going to get emotional here. Not now. " _Why?"_

Edgar shrugged, "I think the better question is, why not?"

"Leo," Terra spoke up again; as soft as her voice was, it had a way of ensuring it was heard, "Don't you want to come and say hello to your brother?"

Sabin turned to Leo, remembering their conversation the previous night. The boy looked a bit uncomfortable, but – with a flush of relief filling his chest – Leo nodded and quietly approached his mother. After a few seconds of observing his new brother, the young prince wrinkled his nose, "Are babies _supposed_ to be that wrinkly?"

Sabin couldn't help it – he let out a loud boom of laughter.

* * *

When the kids were getting settled back in, Sabin took Edgar to one side and told him everything that had occurred, including Leo's outburst and confession. Upon finishing, the king glanced away at the wall, his face expressionless, "I had wondered why he'd seemed so distant upon his return."

"So yeah," Sabin finished, "Kid's feeling pretty inadequate. So I told him I'd talk to you."

"I'm glad you told me," he replied, "I… I certainly like to think I treat them equally. But perhaps, thinking on it, Madeline _does_ tend to take more of my attention, especially recently. It certainly explains his recent behavior changes. I definitely don't want to make him feel less important," he paused, pacing slightly, his hand on his chin deep in thought, "The question is what to do to fix this."

Sabin shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe some one-on-one time with him. Something you'd both enjoy."

"I'm no martial arts expert," he chuckled, "But perhaps… yes, that _might_ work. I think he's probably ready to go in there with supervision."

"What?"

Edgar didn't answer him, but he had an excited grin on his face as he tore off towards Leo's room. Sabin couldn't help but to shrug again. _Yup,_ _I'm never having kids._

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 _I've always had this idea in my head. Maybe I'll expand on it a little later, I don't know. Also, I love Sabin. Not as much as I love Edgar but I do love him.  
_


End file.
